Given the state of music and the trends moving away from Rock based music, were Coldplay still relevant and listenable by 2021, after so many years of recording albums? Although the band were well past their peak commercial successes (arguably), they still had a few surprises up their sleeve musically. Released in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Coldplay revealed this album to be yet another concept album, this time about a fictional universe with specific references to this concept throughout the album, with the structure of that said universe to be much like the Milky Way itself. Could this be quite possibly the most ambitious Coldplay album to date? Inspired by their past successes, namely the Mylo Xyloto album released back in 2011 which was also a similarly themed concept album, this is a really cool sounding idea that looks back to the glory days of 1970s Progressive Rock bands. Even though this album received mixed reviews upon release, this is an album that must be reviewed for its importance in the music world. Not since the likes of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Who’s Tommy (1969) or Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon (1973) we have, on paper, a really legendary sounding album. Let’s take a good listen to the music at hand, and we shall hear if this is as promising as the concept that is present here.

Music Of The Spheres begins with some atmospheric and spacey sounds, with a robotic voice stating the album title. This is absolutely gorgeous and surreal and just sounds very picturesque. This isn’t a million miles away from Jean Michel Jarre and is a great start to the album. It segues into the next tune.

Higher Power begins with some interesting collage of electronic sounds and vocal harmonies before this song launches into a spacey, surreal and different listening experience. Chris Martin sounds very good on vocals here, and this song sounds deep, introspective and quite interesting. This song is well-produced, recorded and structured. It is almost like Hillsong’s music in its lyricism, and this is an interesting musical pastiche. Coldplay proves that they can create interesting, worthwhile and artistic music after decades of being in the music scene. A really cool and listenable tune that is surprisingly catchy, Coldplay proves their worth as musicians and they have obviously created one of the best albums since their early 2000s efforts. A catchy and memorable listen, this ends after nearly three and a half minutes. A gem.

Humankind begins with some spacey Electronic sounds, some real drumbeats and other edited textures that are pleasantly Electronic. Some digital vocals are present here, and this tune quickly enters into a fantastic piece of music with strummed acoustic guitars and other amazing sounds. Chris Martin sings well here, and this sounds a bit like the 2005 X&Y album in terms of musicality. A really explorational and soul-searching tune which is the musical equivalent of taking DMT, this quickly launches into a gorgeous chorus about the legacy of mankind. A grand, visionary and highly Electronic Music inspired piece. This may be the best Coldplay release in many years, in terms of overall concept and vision musically. Chris Martin leads Coldplay into inner and outer space, and Coldplay plays and performs very well. Quite catchy as well, this is indeed a gorgeous statement. This also refers to the state of experiencing out-of-body experiences before dying, which often happens. Nonetheless, this is an amazing album so far and is something that works on an interstellar level. This ends with cut-up melodies, a great effort. It segues into the next track.

Alien Choir is a surreal and atmospheric electronic-based listening experience that sounds really cool. The sounds are warm, pleasant and different. An intermission-styled piece of music, but it sounds ideal for the record. It is over after less than a minute of running.

Let Somebody Go features Selena Gomez. It begins with some spacey organ sounds that are nicely layered here. Soon into it, Chris Martin gets singing nicely away and he sounds deep and meaningful here. This is a love song about being brokenhearted at the end of a relationship and is a bit of a melancholy tune to listen to. Regardless, this is an amazing listening experience that sounds great. Selena Gomez makes a good appearance here, and although this is technically a bit of a weak point so far on this album, it makes good sense to add it to this impressive concept album. A good downbeat tune that sounds really great all the same, despite the fact it veers from the overall concept a little, it does sound great. A pleasant listen with some Joy Division/New Order bass guitar, U2 electronic textures and original Coldplay melancholy. A sad listen, but nonetheless, a good example of what Coldplay do musically. A different musical listening experience, but nonetheless decent. A good but not great four-minute-long Pop song. It ends with a prominent bass guitar and piano meshed up nicely.

Human Heart features We Are KING and Jacob Collier. It begins with some treated harmonies in the style of The Beach Boys, with layering and plenty of reverb added to them. Soon enough, Chris Martin gets singing in a traditional choir-like way. He sings about the fact that men aren’t supposed to cry (which isn’t true), and he sings with some backup from the guests. Another gem in this masterwork of a concept album, this sounds marvellous, as is the rest of the album. The guests also take a lead vocal approach here, and the music itself is pretty, gorgeous and grandiose. It continues the theme of the previous song about heartbreak but done in the typical Coldplay style that sounds quite excellent. At the end are more wordless harmonies to conclude. Bittersweet.

People Of The Pride has more spacey keyboard washes and horns to match. Some deep basslines enter, along with some sampled and distorted vocals. This eventually launches into a down-and-dirty groove that is very unlike Coldplay and sounds very different in the band’s back catalogue. It is not a million miles away from Nine Inch Nails or Gary Glitter musically, so to speak. Chris Martin sings about those people who assume power and glory in the world, and he expresses his bitterness toward such people. Nonetheless, a very good listening experience and something worthwhile to hear. This has a sweet instrumental breakdown in the second half of the song about those so-called leaders who fail people ultimately. A great listen in any case, this sounds very dramatic. The outro is very much like Gary Glitter, and it wraps up just after three and a half minutes in length. Decent.

Biutyful begins with some high-pitched vocals, obviously by Chris Martin here. It quickly launches into a nice and sweet summery acoustic guitar-led ballad, continuing with high-pitch shifted vocals by Chris Martin. This is difficult to take too seriously, but it is decent experimentalism that works nicely. Still, this is a futuristic and blissful listening experience that works nicely. Eventually, regular pitched vocals by Chris Martin follow up and this cyber acoustic tune sounds absolutely pretty and enjoyable. If you aren’t smiling upon listening to this tune, then clearly you are not a Coldplay fan. A good listen with some dramatic themes and pleasant instrumentation. Beautiful, indeed. This is a short and sweet listen that sounds really excellent. Worth hearing. It has a very distorted conclusion with some cyber sounds to go with the high-pitched vocals. Different.

Music Of The Spheres II is 20 seconds long, and it just has recorded crowd applause and weird alien-styled vocals. Not entirely necessary here, but okay anyway.

My Universe features BTS, who were still together at this point and were becoming hugely popular in 2021. It launches into a glorious listen with some spacey vocals from Chris Martin and launches quickly into a good mixture of Rock and EDM listening. BTS enter with some Korean and English vocals. This is stunning and points out the creativity and gloriousness of Coldplay and BTS throughout. Sure, this is a bit of a sellout by Coldplay at the time, but the song is pretty enough and very catchy that it still holds up. A joyous listening experience with a load of Electronic sounds, this sounds amazing. Super cool and fairly unique in the history of music, this is definitely one of the highlights of this album. Regardless, Coldplay has by this point of the album created quite an understated and underrated concept album that defines human life in the existence of the universe. The outro has some odd sounds before beats and cut-up sounds return to conclude this monster. Great effort, it ends with a fade out.

Infinity Sign begins with some awesome digital melodies and spacey sounds before drumbeats enter with loads of hi-hats. This music is indeed, underrated on this album. Handclaps enter, along with some chanting in the background. A very enjoyable listen, needless to say. This is extremely loveable and catchy, and it has some gorgeous musicianship and textures to listen to. A heartwarming and fine listening experience here, this track ticks all the right boxes musically. A great and inspired tune, with some pretty grand piano throughout. This is, of course, a bit of a wall-of-sound piece, but that is perfectly fine given the context of the album. Chris Martin sings with some dual-tracked and layered vocals that sound really terrific. Again, a real joy to listen to. This music is undeniably essential listening and very musically powerful. Credit must go to the band for creating such a futuristic and spacey listening experience. It ends with the singing and basslines to accompany it, before quickly fading out.

Coloratura is the last piece of music on this album, and also the longest, running over 10 minutes long. It begins with some strange and reversed spacey textures, and sounds very inspired and amazing. This is not a million miles away from The Future Sound Of London’s 1994 release Lifeforms album, in fact. It sounds so spacey, surreal and different from anything else ever recorded. Soon enough, some pretty piano-playing enters and this is a fitting conclusion to what is obviously a great and underrated album to hear. Harp then enters, and this majestic tune gets going. Nonetheless, this is a really interesting and super cool tune to listen to. Sounds build up behind the harp playing, and this outer space journey eventually launches into a piano-led ballad with Chris Martin singing about the universalist themes and experiences that one experiences in life. This appeals to those who believe that we are not alone in this existence, and if one looks into the prophecies of Baba Vanga the Russian clairvoyant, this music makes perfect sense, provided you believe in that sort of thing. Trivialities aside, this music is a very good listening experience that sounds really fantastic. The music goes into a different section with dramatic string sections, drums and Chris Martin singing gently over melodic piano. A really excellent tune to listen to, without a doubt or question upon listening to it. Really fresh, decent and different listening, if the human race needs an Exhibit A for music to showcase who we are and what we share, this is the best in that category for the 21st century. A really awesome and pretty listening experience throughout. There is a cool musical interlude in the midsection that sounds really sweet. Some twinkling xylophone-styled melodies enter as we progress on throughout the second half of this tune. Shortly afterwards, the pianos and symphonic textures return to dazzle and inspire the listener. The piano playing gets super dramatic and symphonic, along with some different electric guitar playing. A dynamic, interesting and gorgeous tune, Chris Martin continues to sing along nicely with this tune. Coldplay have created a monumental and often misunderstood release with this symphonic and different album that proves that, yes, they still have the power to make great music. A really awesome listen. Towards the end, this becomes a bit more subtle and stripped back, with Chris Martin singing: “I just want you” repeatedly. Some additional spacey lyrics and symphonic sections are present before this orchestral-sounding piece wraps up this excellent and epic listening experience. A piano and acoustic guitar section wraps up this long song, followed by a really sweet-sounding fade-out. A golden gem.

As stated throughout this review, this is underrated listening, as opposed to overrated listening. Coldplay has created a bold, interesting and definitely listenable album that sounds as great as it promises. An ingenious and intellectual listening experience about the wider universe that does not sound either druggy or weird upon hearing it. In fact, this album release is exactly what a humanity-defining listen should be. Should you listen to this album? If you are a universalist in any way, this is your starting point to go to. A very fantastic listen.

A real eye-opening and inspired concept album.

9/10