British band Coldplay returns with the second part of their three-part space-themed album series that started back in 2021 with “Music of Spheres.” Best known for their run of albums throughout the 2000s, they return with 44 minutes of mellow (and dull) pop music, albeit with some good music sprinkled throughout.
The instrumentation is what really sticks in my head after listening to this. All the songs give vibes of serenity and peace. The album starts off with the title track, “MOON MUSiC” featuring absolutely gorgeous strings paired with some equally gorgeous piano; both instruments are used heavily throughout the album. The song “ALL MY LOVE,” the penultimate track, is a full-on piano ballad, where singer Chris Martin talks about his undying devotion to the song’s subject. (Side note: In the music video Martin gives a balloon to a guy busking in a gorilla suit).
But there is more to “Moon Music” than angelic strings. There is some slight experimentation throughout, and I must say that “feelslikeimfallinginlove” succinctly has the vibes of an ‘80s pastiche. In the closer “ONE WORLD,” the final minute or so feels out of the ‘60s, with the regressed vocal quality and melody sung by Martin supporting that feeling.
There is a vocoder slapped onto the guitar on “AETERNA” and a funky bass on “GOOD FEELiNGS,” which help make both songs feel like dance beats. “JUPiTER” starts as an acoustic ditty, which is nice. But if there is one thing I want to highlight out of this whole album, it is the first two minutes of the emoji-titled: “🌈” or “ALiEN HiTS/ALiEN RADiO.” The song starts off with peaceful tinkling keyboard, then the vocals come in and suddenly the song takes a whole new turn. The drums and guitar come to the front and suddenly a wall of sound starts to grace your ears. Martin stands behind the band, wailing his lines at you. At the very least, please listen to this song if you aren’t going to listen to the whole album.
The lyrics are themed around love. In the first track, Martin sings, “I’m trying to trust in a world full of love.” By the final track “ONE WORLD,” he chants, “In the end it’s just love,” encapsulating our world in two words: love and death.
In JUPiTER, a massive chorus sung by Martin and a choir talks about loving who you love. In the second verse, an orchestra enters, and Martin calls them the “Orchestra of Rainbows.” “JUPiTER” also contains an ending sung in Zulu, the words translating to “I Really Love You.” Zulu vocals also appear in the outro of “AETERNA,” singing those same words. I like the fact Martin included these parts onto this album; it gives a new coat of paint to this lyrical subject. The only song that really doesn’t talk about love is “WE PRAY,” which may be a protest song, given its inclusion of Palestinian-Chilean singer-songwriter Elyanna on one of its versions and the reference to Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, a Guatemalan teen who was unlawfully accused of the death of a Floridian police officer.
Overall, Coldplay’s tenth album is the definition of what has made them loved by millions around the world. It features great music backed by good-hearted lyrics about love sung beautifully by Martin. However, it’s not really worth playing on repeat. Regardless, I still commend Coldplay’s effort here. They can stand proud.
Fun fact: there are 381 La’s throughout this album, do with that information as you will.
Rating: 3/5