Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS & RELATED ARTICLES

Mojo OCTOBER 2011 - by Danny Eccleston

COLDPLAY: MYLO XYLOTO

The return of Coldplay for Coldplay fans.

Refreshed by the Eno infusion that made 2008's Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends a mercurial, if uneven attempt to nix their rep for gooey, one-dimensional nostrums, Chris Martin & co's fifth album is a more streamlined affair, re-embracing themselves as an unpretentious yet big-sounding pop group. Longer on whistle test melodies than Viva La Vida's dulcimer interludes, there's a well-integrated nod to cutting-edge R&B (Rihanna duets on Princess Of China), and though Eno's still on the payroll, his influence is less pronounced than that of his atmos-building protégé, Markus Dravs. lt's best when at its biggest (Charlie Brown, Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall and Don't Let lt Break Your Heart are all heart-pumping epics, with guitarist Jonny Buckland snarlier than before), and though Martin's homespun, high-on-life philosophy will further inflame his critics, for once, there are no apologies.