When Coldplay first teased the single “Adventure of a Lifetime” with just a 34-second clip of the song’s main guitar riff on loop on November 4, I must have listened to it a hundred times before the entire song was released two days later. Then, I eagerly awaited their seventh album A Head Full of Dreams which was released on December 4. Somewhere in-between, I even got to see them perform for a small audience in LA – twice. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a huge Coldplay fan. But even as a fan, I will try to review AHFOD with as little bias as I can.
A short disclaimer though: if you like Coldplay, but claim to only be a fan of their first few albums and didn’t like their more recent work, chances are you probably won’t like AHFOD either. One of the things I like best about Coldplay as a band is their ability to consistently produce a fresh sound despite the fact that they are seven albums (plus a few EPs) into their career. AHFOD builds on Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto efforts to transform their sound into something more upbeat and new, and counteracts 2014’s Ghost Stories, which had a more reserved and somber sound. It is heavily dripping with R&B and pop influences, but still manages to maintain the core Coldplay sound.
Not only that, but AHFOD is Coldplay’s happiest album yet. It’s also the album with the most collaborations and featuring artists: Beyonce – who plays an “angel-like figure” throughout songs like “Hymn For the Weekend,” “Everglow” and “Up&Up” – Tove Lo (Fun), Noel Gallagher (guitar on “Up&Up”), and even President Barack Obama, whose singing voice is featured at the end of “Kaleidoscope.” Even with such a large group of collaborators, neither Coldplay nor specifically lead singer Chris Martin’s voice is ever overpowered; in fact, I enjoyed that both Beyonce and Tove Lo’s vocals were there, but only to enhance the songs rather than serve as a duet with Martin.
The best songs on the album include the title track “A Head Full of Dreams,” “Hymn For the Weekend,” “Adventure of a Lifetime,” “Fun,” and “Up&Up.”
The title track and “Adventure of a Lifetime” are bass-heavy (thank you, Guy Berryman) and give off a modern-disco vibe that make them the perfect feel-good songs. Not only that, but the guitar riff is “Adventure of a Lifetime” is ridiculously good – so good that it will probably get stuck in your head for hours.
“Hymn For the Weekend” was one of the songs I anticipated the most on the album after hearing a short preview of it for two reasons: one, it features Queen Beyonce herself and I have always dreamed of a Coldplay/Beyonce duet. Two, it just sounds so different from anything Coldplay have done before. It’s safe to say that I love the song; sure, the lyrics aren’t Martin’s best, but they’re catchy and Martin’s voice in the chorus combined with the R&B-influenced sound are just too good.
Those who like Coldplay’s older work will most likely enjoy “Everglow” and “Up&Up,” two slower, piano-driven songs that contain a far less “pop” influence than the others on the album. “Up&Up” is an inspiring and uplifting track that acts as the perfect closing song for the album.
AHFOD might have some songs that aren’t lyrically the best (for example: “In this world so cruel / I think you’re so cool” from “Birds”) but the colorful sounds and instrumentals make up for the few parts that lack lyrically.
Overall, AHFOD is by far Coldplay’s most uplifting and feel-good album – even the slower songs have a positive message to them. I can appreciate that their newer albums have a completely different vibe than previous albums such as, “A Rush of Blood to the Head,” yet they still sound like Coldplay. I am as much of a fan of their earlier work as their newer work, and it’s a great feeling knowing that I can listen to a Coldplay song for any mood I’m in, from melancholic to cheerful.