Coldplay “A Head Full of Dreams”

[rung]

“A Head Full of Dreams” is the upcoming seventh and final studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It’s scheduled to be released later this year via Parlophone and Atlantic Records.

The name was revealed by Chris Martin during and interview with BBC Radio 1Xtra show on December 4th. He also confirmed the band’s plans to tour in 2016 to support this project.

This album will be released a year after of their last offer “Ghost Stories“, which has sold nearly 3 million copies worldwide.

The band premiered new track called “Amazing Day” during the concert at the Great Lawn in NYC for Global Citizen Festival on September 26th.

Apparently, Coldplay have already filmed a music video to support the first official single from this album, which is expected to be released in October.

Amazing Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDEe8q9rnQ8

[TioJorge]

Final? Damn... Welp, at least they know when to call it quits. I was never a big fan of the bands, but I do really love a handful of songs, although that's where my fandom ends. I think Midnight and Always In My Head are my favorites from the new album, but Oceans is really nice too.

It'll be interesting to see which direction this album goes. GS was pretty damn mellow and soothing, I'm wondering if they'll go for a more pop oriented album for their last hurrah.

[Mladen]

I was extremely happy with the direction they took with Ghost stories. The new one is something to look forward to, I actually didn't think they would release it this year.

[425]

“A Head Full of Dreams” is the upcoming seventh and final studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It’s scheduled to be released later this year via Parlophone and Atlantic Records.

Final? Damn... Welp, at least they know when to call it quits. I was never a big fan of the bands, but I do really love a handful of songs, although that's where my fandom ends. I think Midnight and Always In My Head are my favorites from the new album, but Oceans is really nice too.

It is NOT true that this *will* be the band's final album.

Chris Martin has repeatedly had to clarify this. He said that the band feels like, this being the seventh album, it is sort of the end of a cycle, and that they do not specifically have plans beyond this album and tour.

He has never stated that it will be their final album and has repeatedly tried to correct reports that it is. They simply do not have plans to make another album after this one at this time. From what I've seen on the fansites, the general assumption is that they will do this album and tour and take a few years off before deciding if they will make an 8th studio album.

This is not to say that it couldn't end up being their final album, but this quote from Chris Martin more accurately describes the band's perspective at this point: "What I alluded to was that we are finishing something that's like a completion of a circle. I don't know what that means in the long run."

Sorry for the ranty post, it's just a common misconception that Chris Martin created for the band by speaking vaguely!

[425]

As for the album itself, I'm very excited. This has been my most anticipated upcoming release alongside Iron Maiden's The Book of Souls. Ghost Stories won album of the year for me last year, so if A Head Full of Dreams does come out this year, it will give Coldplay a serious chance to make my AOTY in consecutive years. Which would be quite impressive

The fact that, apparently, they've been working on this idea for a long time, but didn't feel like they were ready to make the album until now, is very promising. I've loved each one of their albums, so hopefully they continue this perfect streak (and the fact that they are on a perfect streak for me is part of why I don't know if I'll be disappointed or not if this is their last—on one hand I want them to maintain that streak, but on the other I want the streak to be like 10 or 12 albums instead of 7!).

Either way, very exciting stuff. Not going to listen to the song right now, though. I have no specific set of criteria to decide whether I go into an album cold or whether I listen to pre-released songs, and I still haven't decided which it will be for this one. But I didn't listen to anything going into Ghost Stories except a snippet of A Sky Full of Stars that was played in Target commercials, so I may end up going in cold again. Who knows.

[Evermind]

Either way, very exciting stuff. Not going to listen to the song right now, though. I have no specific set of criteria to decide whether I go into an album cold or whether I listen to pre-released songs, and I still haven't decided which it will be for this one. But I didn't listen to anything going into Ghost Stories except a snippet of A Sky Full of Stars that was played in Target commercials, so I may end up going in cold again. Who knows.

I see what you did there.

[425]

Yep Thought about not being that punny, decided to do it anyway.

[Nel]

I don't know what to expect from the album. I guess because they originally announced it so soon after Ghost Stories and because the title sounds so similar to "A Sky Full Of Stars" I figured it be some kind of sequel to it. But while I liked how low-key and moody the last one was, I wouldn't mind something more poppy again.

[Fluffy Lothario]

I’m not as into Coldplsy these days as I have been in the past, but I’ll still check it out when it shows up.

[425]

I don't know what to expect from the album. I guess because they originally announced it so soon after Ghost Stories and because the title sounds so similar to "A Sky Full Of Stars" I figured it be some kind of sequel to it. But while I liked how low-key and moody the last one was, I wouldn't mind something more poppy again.

Honestly, you can never tell what to expect from Coldplay. Their first three albums shared some stylistic threads, but even then and especially since then it's been no telling what they would do next.

The proximity to their last release would suggest that the new one will be stylistically similar, but on the other hand, Chris's statements that they've been thinking about making this album for a long time may contradict that.

Either way, I'm pretty excited to see where it goes.

[Stadler]

I want to like them so badly - and some stuff I do, very much - but they just sort of strike me as too much U2, Jr., even down to the direction of the music.   U2 lost me a little with the "Pop" and "Zooropa" diversions, as did Coldplay with Mylo Xyloto.  I liked the recent one more than MX, and I can appreciate the underlying circumstances, but at the risk of sounding gauche, I can do with another "The Scientist" if they've got it in them.   

[Kotowboy]

^ Right.

I even saw a Coldplay concert on TV once and Chris was copying all of Bono's mannerisms and vocal improvisations then he and Jonny did the Matador / Bull thing that Bono and Edge did on stage in

1997.  If you weren't a U2 fan  - you'd never know - but i'm a massive U2 fan so it was beyond blatant to me.

[Outcrier]

I want to like them so badly - and some stuff I do, very much - but they just sort of strike me as too much U2, Jr., even down to the direction of the music.

This. I like them but they sound too much like other bands that are much better than them already (like U2 and Radiohead), so i understand the hate they get sometimes.

U2 lost me a little with the "Pop" and "Zooropa" diversions, as did Coldplay with Mylo Xyloto.

Same here. The two first albums and Viva la Vida were pretty good albums but they lost it after that imo.

[Stadler]

I want to like them so badly - and some stuff I do, very much - but they just sort of strike me as too much U2, Jr., even down to the direction of the music.

This. I like them but they sound too much like other bands that are much better than them already (like U2 and Radiohead), so i understand the hate they get sometimes.

U2 lost me a little with the "Pop" and "Zooropa" diversions, as did Coldplay with Mylo Xyloto.

Same here. The two first albums and Viva la Vida were pretty good albums but they lost it after that imo.

See, my problem is that I love U2, a lot, but can't stand Radiohead.  I just don't get them, despite giving them a more than reasonable chance, but you can't force what you like.

[SoundscapeMN]

I'm with you Stadler on U2 and Radiohead. Coldplay though seem to write some nice songs, but their lasting value doesn't seem to be all that long. To this day, i really only love "Clocks" even as overplayed as it has been. It just has an earworm that I enjoy.

[Fluffy Lothario]

Rush of Blood is my favourite Coldplay album, and Clocks is the only song on there I don't like.  I was starting to tire of it a wee bit, and then Speed of Sound came out, which I wasn't fond of from the start, and sounds almost exactly the same as Clocks, so that became even worse by association.

I like all three bands though.

[425]

Clocks is a solid song, but on Rush of Blood alone, I'd take The Scientist, In My Place and especially the title track and Amsterdam ahead of it.

But I'd also take the last three Coldplay albums ahead of the first three, so y'all probably don't care what I think

[Nel]

Release date was announced as December 4th on the Facebook page. Pre-orders are up. Not a big fan of the album art, but whatever. The music's what's important.

[Kotowboy]

[LCArenas]

The artwork looks awful, that's true.

Listening to 'Adventure of a Lifetime' now. I like it, a lot.

[425]

Album art is interesting, kinda retro. Kinda classic prog, actually. I'll have to see if it grows on me. I think I'm going to listen to the single in a bit.

Tracklisting is on their website:

1. A Head Full of Dreams
2. Birds
3. Hymn for the Weekend
4. Everglow
5. Adventure of a Lifetime
6. Fun
7. Kaleidoscope
8. Army of One
9. Amazing Day
10. Colour Spectrum
11. Up&Up

[Zydar]

I hope it is better than the last one, it didn't do much for me.

[Kotowboy]

I haven't listened to a new Coldplay album since AROBTTH

[425]

Then, to be blunt, why are you constantly commenting in the Coldplay thread?

[Kotowboy]

Why not ?

[425]

Well, because you are rarely contributing anything productive. Your contributions are typically just short of bashing. I'm not a big fan of the Foo Fighters, but you don't see me making negative remarks every fifth post in the Foo Fighters thread.

[Kotowboy]

I like the 2nd album and some other songs.

All i've done in this thread is point out similarities to other bands.

[425]

I'm just saying that it's kind of bizarre to constantly comment negatively in the thread of a band from whom you like, by your own statement in the previous Coldplay thread, around six songs in total.

The last Coldplay album you listened to is A Rush of Blood to the Head? Okay, that's fine, but if you really care that little about this band, why would you constantly post in their thread. When I care so little about a band that I haven't even bothered to listen to any of their last four albums, I don't serially comment in their thread.

It would be different if the topic of conversation was ARoBttH, and you were commenting on that album. But it rarely is and you rarely do. Instead, your posts seem to general consist of idle and usually negative observations that you made flipping channels on the TV.

Again, I'm not going to go on the Foo Fighters thread and interrupt a discussion about their new album to say "I liked a few of the songs this band put out like 15 years ago, but I saw one of their newer songs live on Palladia and I thought it was just bland and the performance was derivative. Also I don't haven't listened to their new music in over a decade and I am not going to listen to their new album which you all have been talking about in this thread, and even though I have made abundantly clear that I don't care much for this band outside of a few songs, I'm going to continue to make this same post, in essence, every time this thread shows up."

I just don't get it. Clearly this is not a band you like or care much about beyond 5-10 songs they put out a decade ago. I don't get why you follow their thread and comment on every new post just to register your apathy at best and distaste at worst. That's just not something that I, personally, would spend my time on for a band I don't care much about.

[Kotowboy]

...



So this is their last album apparently ? Seems a bit weird to quit at basically the top of your game ?

[Stadler]

Again, I'm not going to go on the Foo Fighters thread and interrupt a discussion about their new album to say "I liked a few of the songs this band put out like 15 years ago, but I saw one of their newer songs live on Palladia and I thought it was just bland and the performance was derivative.

But of course, you could.  And you wouldn't be wrong.   

[Kotowboy]

Yeah Sonic Highways was a huge MOR letdown after the amazing Wasting Light. I'm hoping they don't just crap out really bland radio friendly rock for the rest of their career.

[425]

...



So this is their last album apparently ? Seems a bit weird to quit at basically the top of your game ?

The press has been repeating that nonstop in regard to this album, and it's really half true at best. What Chris Martin said was that, by completing the seventh album, they had completed something of a cycle (he specifically made the comparison to Harry Potter). And that, unlike in the past, the band does not have specific plans to make an album beyond this one (apparently in the past they have had tentative plans to make the next album by the time one comes out, like they had plans for when they would make MX by the time VLV was released, etc.).

They haven't ruled out the possibility that it will be their last album, but they have not definitively stated that it will be. Basically, they are saying that they have no idea what they will do after this album and tour, no plans for the future beyond that. But the first time he said as much, Chris Martin phrased it poorly and now the music press is stuck in the belief that this will be their last album, even if that is not strictly true.

[425]

Again, I'm not going to go on the Foo Fighters thread and interrupt a discussion about their new album to say "I liked a few of the songs this band put out like 15 years ago, but I saw one of their newer songs live on Palladia and I thought it was just bland and the performance was derivative.

But of course, you could.  And you wouldn't be wrong. 

I could, but if I did it almost every time anything was posted in their thread, I would personally consider that to be rude. I'm not bringing anything new or relevant to the discussion and I'm just belaboring the fact that I don't care for the band.

[LCArenas]

So, to make it a bit shorter... They're going on a hiatus when they finish this album's tour.

Or not, depending on the tour itself.

[425]

They legitimately have no idea what they're doing when the finish the tour. They may go on a hiatus—short or long or even permanent. Or they may say, this was great, we're really inspired, we have tons of ideas, get ready for LP #8. The general message has been that they legitimately don't know what they're doing.