Since their previous and much quieter studio album Ghost Stories, British rock band Coldplay have been working tirelessly to create a much more exciting and lively follow on album – A Head Full of Dreams. Their newest musical era is quite clearly the polar opposite of their last work and therefore manages to convey their ability to contrast in their sound as well as include detailed and interesting riffs and instruments to each song, giving it that “Coldplay touch and feeling.”
Going track-by-track, the album starts off with the title track “A Head Full of Dreams.” The track opens up the album and sets the lively and upbeat feeling by making use of various “ooh’s”, which give the album a very live-sound due to the way in which they are mimicked; they aren’t perfected, but sound more “in the moment”, which adds to the lively feeling. The next track, Birds, follows on smoothly from the first as it fades into it. It is much calmer and less instrument heavy to begin with, but still manages to upkeep the energy. It sounds very similar to the band’s track Hurts Like Heaven on their 2011 album Mylo Xyloto album and the overall design of the album is similar in some ways to Mylo Xyloto in terms of the bright colours, energetic feeling and formatting and layout of the tracks in the way the energy is carried through the album.
The album features various celebrity special guests such Tove Lo, Noel Gallagher and Beyonce, who is featured on the third track Hymn For The Weekend. Their previous work on Mylo Xyloto, Princess of China, featured pop singer Rihanna and therefore this also adds to the similarities between their newest work and the previous high energy album. Beyonce provides backing vocals as well as some harmonies within the verses and brings the two artists’ styles together.
The album’s first single, Adventure of a Lifetime, is one of the tracks within the album that differs greatly from any other music the band has released in terms of the instrumental abilities and different rhythms and channels featured within the single. It brings a kaleidoscope pattern to mind yet the difference and contrast within it to previous work, puts Coldplay’s staple on it and lets any non-fans know that it’s Coldplay.
The way in which the tracks are listed shows how after Ghost Stories, there is almost a bright flash of energy and then it slowly fades out again as the first six tracks within the album are much more energetic and lively compared to the last five. The album ends on a track called Up & Up, which still features Coldplay’s “futuristic” and modern turn on their sound within this album, yet still remains uplifting and inspirational through it’s lyrics. Up and Up particular helps to convey the feeling that the album was recorded in a very specific way. When frontman Chris Martin sings in the chorus, once again, his voice sounds very natural and non-perfected, making it feel like you are listening to a live album and, even though this song is much calmer compared to the second or third track, it still adds to the lively and upbeat effect that has remained throughout the album.
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