First review: Coldplay’s Ghost Stories is Chris Martin’s love letter to Gwyneth Paltrow
BY CAMERON ADAMS NATIONAL MUSIC WRITER NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA
MAY 13, 2014 1:16PM
FIRST REVIEW
Coldplay: Ghost Stories
THE year’s most anticipated rock album is also Coldplay’s least-rock album.
Ghost Stories is Coldplay’s most subtle album since their debut Parachutes, and also their most electronic — and emotional.
Even before frontman Chris Martin announced his split from wife Gwyneth Paltrow the band had stated they’d not do the usual barrage of interviews for the project.
Now we see why; these are the most public statements on Martin’s admirably private relationship, filled with soul-baring lyrics ready to be analysed given recent events.
Paltrow called it ‘Conscious Uncoupling’.
Martin opts for a less Oprah take on his feelings.
You saw Sad Kanye, now hear Sad Chris.
“I’ve lost you now, you let me go,” he sings on True Love. “But one last time, tell me you love me, if you don’t then lie to me.”
Coldplay ... The album cover for Ghost Stories. Source: Supplied
That’s the tone here on this pre-divorce album, a broken man sharing his pain with the world via a love letter to his soon-to-be-ex wife. There’s times you feel like you’re eavesdropping.
Dig around the credits of their sixth album — which is available to stream for free on iTunes — and the band thank their partners and children by just using their first initials — there’s ’amg’ — Apple, Moses and Gwyneth.
Apple and Moses Martin are also credited as guest vocalists on final track O, a simple piano ballad using a metaphor of losing love as birds flying away. It’s hard to detect their voices, but a nice gesture from dad.
There’s also a quote on the sleeve notes that shows all that time around Paltrow rubbed off on Martin: ‘Suffering teaches sweet understanding’. It’s credited to Marshall Ball — a man who cannot walk or speak but writes spiritually-charged books of wisdom. It’s very on brand with Paltrow’s website Goop.
Subversive hit and minimal single Magic was a great musical introduction to the DNA of Ghost Stories. As was the even more subversive, even more minimal Midnight.
That track sees Coldplay renew their relationship with experimental electronic producer Jon Hopkins, sampling his tune The Fourth State II. They’d previously used some of his beautiful work to bookend Viva La Vida.
Always In My Head is stunning, presumably it’s French electronic producer Madeon (Lady Gaga) adding some of the “magic” acknowledged in the credits on this track.
The song has experimental electro sounds moody synth washes and not too much else, just ethereal guitar and Cure/New Order submerged bass.
Martin, whose vocals are front and centre like never before, notes ``I think of you, I haven’t slept, I think I do, but I don’t forget …” before closing proceedings with ``This, I guess, is to tell you you were chosen out from the rest.”
Sixth album ... UK band Coldplay. Picture: Warner Source: Supplied
Ink features folky guitar and skittish beats and Martin proclaiming “feels like there’s something broken inside.” Things get a little cheerier, at least musically, for the chorus with the line “All I know is that I love you so, so much that it hurts.” He does get a bit vocally upbeat at the end, when there’s some trademark U2-style guitar, but way back in the mix.
Another’s Arms may be the album’s (shattered) heart.
It’s a stark piano ballad, with a sample of female vocalist Jane Weaver’s Silver Chord, and stunted hip hop beats.
Martin sings ``Late night watching TV, used to be you here beside me, used to be your arms around me, your body on my body.”
He then just lets rip lyrically. Amateur psychologists and music reviewers (often the same thing) may project he’s singing about the thought of his wife with someone else here:``When the world means nothing to me — another’s arms, when the pain just rips right through me — another’s arms, when it’s just torture to me — another’s arms’’.
Sky Full of Stars was co-written with Swedish chart invader Avicii, and he clearly supplies that wordless hands-in-the-air chorus. Also unspoken is the fact this is the radio single the band knew this album needed.
In happier days — Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin prior to conscious uncoupling. Source: Supplied
It may not work quite as well as their previous nod to dance culture, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, but Sky Full of Stars provides a welcome pulse at just the right time.
True Love ropes in Timbaland on beats, but it’s still decidedly downbeat, with an unexpectedly skew-whiff solo at the end.
Oceans uses acoustic guitar and what sounds like underwater sonar bleeps instead of drums. It gives off a Radiohead circa OK Computer feel as an emotionally-raw Martin sighs “I’m trying to change. I’m ready for a change” and “to find yourself alone in this world, to find yourself alone.” It also takes you right back to the early charm of Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head, before they worried about big musical moments for stadiums.
Even though it’s mainly ballads on the nine songs here, there’s no for-the-masses lighter-waver moment like Fix You. It’s not that kind of record.
Just as their heroes U2 have done, Coldplay know exactly when to take a detour and dream it all up again, just as they did on Viva La Vida.
They’re just lucky that they’ve banked enough goodwill that on this, their strangest but arguably most personal album, they’re likely to not lose too many passengers as they continue the interesting ride.
4 stars
Ghost Stories is released on Friday
www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/music/first-review-coldplays-ghost-stories-is-chris-martins-love-letter-to-gwyneth-paltrow/story-fni0bvjn-1226916012251
