Magic

Ah okay yea I understand what your saying

I know this is a little off topic, but I was thinking about making a remix. Is it completely legal or is it like a grey area? I dont want to get in trouble for doing it.

Okay thanks!

I think Magic could really be elevated depending on the context of the album.

For example, what if the opening track were really chaotic and loud and in-your-face (like maybe a song like Politik, but a synth-based, electro adventure style of a song) and then the synths fade and get drowned out, and at the same time, the groove of Magic fades in. I just think it would be a very nice contrast.

You see, when I listen to Magic, I feel like I'm in some sort of vaccum, or like I'm floating under water and looking up at the surface. The stripped-back nature of the song has an effect where everything around you seems to pause and all the sound is blocked out. So imagine going from a loud song to a simple song like Magic.

Here's a metaphor to help explain what I'm getting at:
Imagine you're running away from something terrifying... you're breathing heavily-- running for your life. You look back to see how close whatever's chasing you is. But as you look back you suddenly fall down a cliff that you didn't see coming because you were looking back. Now you're in free-fall... you're heart is still pumping extremely fast. The fall is terrifying yet exhilarating.
Finally, you plummet into a lake below and there's a giant splash. As you sink down, you look back up at the surface and everything becomes quiet and still. You begin to process everything and you're grateful to still be alive. And your entire body relaxes and becomes limp, like a wave of relief rolls over you, and you can feel it travel from your center all the way to your fingers and toes.

If that kind of feeling is achieved in the transition from Always In My Head to Magic, I'd be able to appreciate Magic much more.

Heading for another top 10 charting in the UK are Coldplay. Incredible that they continue to be a chart presence after 14 years in the mainstream limelight. Pretty much every act around them in today's chart were no where to be seen when they first made it big with Yellow back in the summer of 2000. Considering the vast changes that have occurred in the music industry since then, no one can doubt that it is undeniably impressive. I suspect many acts will continue to erode away from the charts (Katy Perry, Jason Derulo, Pitbull - oh how we shall "mourn" them) while Coldplay continue to show their imprint on them.

And it's somewhat melancholic especially from my point of view as Coldplay originate from an era when the charts still meant something. An era where they would perform their new single on Top of the Pops on a Friday evening or CD:UK on Saturday morning tv and a cd you would then go into Woolworths and buy if off the shelf complete with a magical b side of course. Nowadays none of that exists. No Top of the Pops, no CD:UK, no CD singles and no b sides. Not even Woolworths exists anymore.

Yes the band members may still be on the right side of 40 but seeing Coldplay's name in the charts is poignant and they stand like the Colosseum amongst the cheap Disney land theme parks of their fellow "hit" makers. The charts mean nothing these days as a result of the bastardised and ultra digital music age but it's always nice to see a name up there that reminded us of a time when pop music was fun and when hit makers really were hit makers. Those acts that gave you a sense of the enjoyment our mum and dads felt when they went out and bought and listened to singles from their favourite bands. Coldplay were as big a part of that as anyone in my young lifetime and I am eternally grateful to them for it.

'Magic' iTunes update:

#1 in Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden
#2 in Canada, Italy, Lux, Norway, Spain and Switzerland
#3 in Denmark, Finland, New Zealand
#4 in the US
#6 in the UK

I see what you mean, and couldn't agree more! I guess this is why we shouldn't judge a song by itself. The album context is very important! Even though many artists don't really seem to care about the way their albums flow, fortunately Coldplay do. I'm gonna be really happy if 'Always in My Head' is a song as strong and loud and in-your-face as Politik. So excited!

However, I'm still deciding if I'm gonna listen to more 'Ghost Stories' songs should they decide to play them at the iTunes festival...