Coldplay, Everyday Life | Album Review 💿

Grammy-winning British alternative collective Coldplay deliver some intriguing moments on their eighth studio album, Everyday Life.

Typically, when Grammy-winning British alternative collective Coldplay initiates a new release cycle, it’s quite a big deal.  Something felt different with the promo campaign for Everyday Life, their eighth studio album. Chris Martin and company arrive in relatively low-key fashion this go-round, despite terrific promo singles “Arabesque”, “Orphans”, and title track, “Everyday Life”.  The singles didn’t make a big impact on the charts, but certainly signaled that the double, conceptual album comprised of ‘Sunrise’ (eight tracks) and ‘Sunset’ (eight tracks) would be an intriguing affair.  Overall, that is the case, as Martin and the crew tackle relevant societal issues.

Sunrise

“Sunrise”

Disc one, Sunrise, commences with the instrumental track, “Sunrise.” The two-and-a-half-minute cut is gorgeous, characterized by its dramatic strings. The musicianship of this intro shines by all means.  Ultimately, “Sunrise” masterfully accomplishes its job, setting the tone Everyday Life. “And when you’re riding a wave / Oh won’t you ride that wave to me?” The rhythmic “Church” is the first of several songs on the album that make spiritual references at some point.  Interestingly, the title is mentioned in only two instances – the bridge and outro.  “‘Cause when I’m hurt, Then I’ll go to your church,” Martin sings on the bridge.  Besides this spiritual element unleashed on Everyday Life, there is a cool vocalization in Arabic incorporated into the mix.

“Trouble in Town” is a prime example of the message of unity that Coldplay seeks to emphasize throughout Everyday Life.  Here, Chris Martin highlights the unfair treatment that people of different colors and different ethnicities face.  Besides the examples he sings about, there is a telling interlude, laced with profanity, depicting an unfortunate police interaction with a young man of color. Just listening to it, particularly as a man of color, is quite disturbing.  Thematically, the band is definitely on-point.

“BrokEn” 

“Lord, when I’m broken (When I’m broken) / And I’m in need (I’m in need) / Feel that ocean (Feel that ocean) / Swallowing me (Swallowing me).” ✓ “BrokEn” is among the most unexpected songs appearing on Everyday Life.  Why? It’s essentially a gospel song, intact with a rousing gospel choir singing the response to Chris Martin’s calls.  Martin doesn’t employ the gospel histrionics – there’s no melisma or soulful runs – but this is certainly a pleasant surprise.

✓ “Daddy” follows, ranking among the most beautiful and thoughtful records on Everyday Life. “Daddy, are you out there? / Daddy, won’t you come and play,” Martin sings on the first verse, from the perspective of son who longs for his father.  Later, on the chilling chorus, he sings, “You’re so far away / … That’s okay, it’s okay / I’m okay.” Throughout the course of the ballad, Martin sings in a calm, quiet, and subtle manner.  The brief, folksy “WOTW / POTP” finds itself sandwiched between two of the LP’s very best songs.  It contains two verses but comes off more like an interlude than fully developed, distinct song.

“Arabesque”

✓  🤩 “Arabesque” surpasses the five-and-a-half-minute mark in regard to duration.  The production is quite unique; one of the biggest selling points of the record.  Following an intro encompassing a soundscape of the city and traffic, “Arabesque” settles into this super groovy, alt-rock joint, characterized by rhythmic acoustic guitar, electric guitars, and horns.  Notably, between the second and third verses, there’s a fantastic alto saxophone solo (Omorinmade Anikulapo-Kuti). A Fela Kuti song is sampled, featuring Femi Kuti (“Music is the weapon, music is the weapon of the future”).

Chris Martin is as potent as ever, even if he fails to ascend into his glorious falsetto. On the second verse, Stromae handles the bulk of the vocal duties.  That said, he still contributes, along with Will Champion.  Stromae sings in French, further support the band’s pursuance of unity and peace. Martin takes the reins once more on the brief third verse, which features the lyrics, “And we share the same blood / Yeah, we share the same blood.”  For further emphasis, at the end of this gem, Martin intensifies the message – “Same fucking blood.” 

The brief “When I Need a Friend” gorgeously concludes the Sunrise portion of Everyday Life.  The sounds are lush, while the choir sounds incredibly serene. Overall, the sound of the record can be described sound can be described as a chorale. This truly solemn hymn contrasts the earlier, gospel-tinged standout, “BrokEn.”

Sunset

“Guns”

“Everything’s gone so crazy / …Everyone’s gone fucking crazy / Maybe I’m crazy too…” The brief “Guns” commences Sunset socially and politically charged, memorably addressing the issue of gun control.  While the aforementioned lyrics from the chorus are quite telling, perhaps the lyrics that stand out the most appear on the second verse:

“Only save your look-alikes and fuck the other ones
It’s the opinion of this board that we need more guns.”

Sheesh!

✓ “Orphans”, which served as the co-lead single alongside “Arabesque,” posseses more of a commercial sensibility compared to much of Everyday Life. That said, don’t call “Orphans” a pop song. This is a groovy rock record incorporating elements of international and world music, giving it an eclectic vibe.  That eclectic vibe is further supported by the use of a choir during the intro and chorus, as well as nonsensical, onomatopoeic sounds courtesy of Moses Martin (Chris’ boy). The chorus is absolutely epic:

“I want to know when I can go
Back and get drunk with my friends
I want to know when I can go
Back and be young again.”

Chris Martin kills it in the vocal department – shocker. On the verses, the listener gets a clear picture regarding the Syrian Civil War, specifically the 2018 bombing.  “Rosaleem of the Damascene / … Would have been on the silver screen / But for the missile monsoon.” At the end of the first verse, he imitates the sound of the bombs for added effect.  On the second verse, he speaks of Baba, focusing on flowers, and what seems to be the devastating effects of the aforementioned bombing.

“Èkó” 

Following “Orphans,” the next three consecutive songs fail to crack the three-minute mark. That doesn’t inhibit ✓ “Èkó” from being potent, in a quiet, subtle sort of way.  Chris Martin shows restraint, yet the results remain sound.  Notably, Africa is the center of this world-infused number (“In Africa / The rivers are perfectly deep / And beautifully wide”). “Cry Cry Cry” is another unexpected song from Coldplay, tapping into R&B and soul. Notably, “Cry Cry Cry” samples the Garnet Mimms classic “Cry Baby”, which Janis Joplin ultimately popularized.  Furthermore, Martin is assisted by the supremely gifted Jacob Collier.  This a change of pace by all means, particularly compared to “Èkó,” but it’s also a bit odd.  Does it fit Everyday Life compared to the other songs that appear on the album? “That is the question.” 

“And when I close my eyes / I see you, you.” The singer/songwriter-oriented “Old Friends” concludes the trio of shorter cuts. Martin thoughtfully remembers a friend of his who passed away. Of Tony, he sings explicitly, on the verse, “Tony was a friend of mine / …Once he really saved my life.”

“بنی آدم”

“بنی آدم” is mostly instrumental but features a couple of distinct vocal samples.  What does the Arabic title translate as? Children of Adam. The big takeaway from this particular number is how distinct it sounds, as well as how Coldplay continues to incorporate elements of various cultures. ✓ “Champion of the World” follows as the spirited, penultimate cut from Everyday Life.  It commences with Nigerian lyrics, continuing Martin and company’s embrace of everybody essentially. Martin has failed at numerous things (“I tried my best at taking flight / But my rocket ship reversed”), but he vows, “But I’ll stand before conquistadors / Till I’m champion of the world.” Definitely a stellar message.

“‘Cause everyone hurts / Everyone cries / Everyone tells each other all kinds of lies / Everyone falls / Everybody dreams and doubts / Got to keep dancing when the lights go out.” ✓  “Everyday Life” concludes this ambitious Coldplay LP. “Everyday Life” totally feels like the coda. The production includes piano, keyboards, and lush, emotional strings. In regard to songwriting, Martin and the gang opt for the more transcendent and meaningful. On the first verse, Martin has legitimate, open-ended questions: “What kind of world do you want it to be? / Am I the future or the history?” On the second, he sings, “How in the world am I going to see / You as my brother / … Not my enemy?” The concept should be simple, yet, it’s incredibly complicated given the amount of racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and other hindrances that exist worldwide.

Final Thoughts 

Ultimately, Everyday Life is an ambitious, well-rounded album by Coldplay.  There are ample moments where the Grammy-winning band offers up listeners musical excellence.  Is this a perfect LP? By no means. At times, Martin and company fall slightly short of the glory, particularly the conceptual angle.  They make their point, but the cohesiveness definitely could’ve been tightened.  Still, this definitely a unique effort and it is quite a shame that there wasn’t more buzz surrounding album number eight.  Regardless, it’s definitely worth listening to.

✓ Gems: “BrokEn,” “Daddy,”  🤩 “Arabesque,” “Orphans,” “Èkó,” “Champion of the World” & “Everyday Life”

Coldplay • Everyday Life • Warner • Release: 11.22.19

Photo Credit: Warner