Album Review: Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

Coldplay's latest album Mylo Xyloto came out on October 24, to the relief of many fans (including myself) who couldn't stand another day of waiting. There have been both good and bad reviews of the album, and I've been meaning to throw my two cents in for awhile, but haven't had the time. However, I finally forced myself to sit down and finish my review (during NaNoWriMo season, no less), so here it is.

So...the thing that bothered me about the new album when it first came out wasn't that it sounded different than anything I was used to. It wasn't that there was a mix-matched array of upbeat songs with complex riffs, haunting songs with beautiful instrumentals, distorted electric-guitar songs and songs that included almost nothing except piano chords and vocals. It wasn't that there was also a duet with Rihanna mixed into this.

It was that it worked. It worked really, really, well. Every song fits seamlessly with the rest, and as a whole album, it's probably one of Coldplay's best, if not the best. In terms of continuity, it's definitely giving Viva La Vida/Death and All His Friends a run for its money. Needless to say, I am in the group of Coldplay fans who adore Mylo Xyloto, and have to fight my exasperation with those who don't. (To be fair, it did take me a few listens for some of the songs to grow on me, though I loved others instantly.)

Before I get into song-by-song-reviews, I'd also just like to point out that it's the only Coldplay album I almost immediately bought the complete version of. That just proves how well all the songs function together.

1. Mylo Xyloto

The title track is an awesome instrumental and a perfect introduction to Hurts Like Heaven. I like how this song starts off softly and gradually builds, with more sounds added as it goes on. It's a great opener for the album.

2. Hurts Like Heaven

I read somewhere that the new album was inspired by graffiti, and it's clearer on Hurts Like Heaven than on any other song. I love the chorus, the verses, basically all of the lyrics, and from what I've managed to decipher of the meaning, I like that too. A critic (I'm paraphrasing here) complained that it seemed as if Coldplay was writing about a dystopia where people rebel by spray-painting, but that's what I like about this song. It definitely has a non-conformist/unique attitude to it, but it's not angry.

3. Paradise

Awesome song. Just amazing. It's both traditional Coldplay and incredibly unique - a sort of Clocks meets Violet Hill meets something else entirely. I love the violins at the beginning. The lyrics are haunting and heartbreakingly beautiful. The concept is definitely something I can relate to, and I have a feeling this is going to be one of those Coldplay songs that's going to stick around for awhile.

4. Charlie Brown

iTunes described this song as a "Coldplay classic in the making", and they hit the nail right on the head. I think every Coldplay album has one song that is just so moving and breathtaking that it's impossible to describe, one that fully encompasses the whole theme of the album. For Mylo Xyloto, that song is Charlie Brown. From the first time I heard the instrumental, I knew this was going to be something spectacular, and it only got better with every line of the unforgettable lyrics. It's such an inspiring, amazing song, and I can't stop listening to it.

5. Us Against the World

The beginning of this song is really nice, with a softer acoustic sound. It's probably one of the songs on the album that sounds the most like earlier Coldplay songs, without being repetitive. It reminds me of songs on Parachute like Sparks or Don't Panic or Swallowed in the Sea on X&Y. I love the lyrics, too - very poetic.

6. M.M.I.X.

I don't have a lot to say about this song because I haven't spent a lot of time listening to it. It works well as a transition to Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, but it's not one of my favorite introductions on the album. It's short, like the other two, but doesn't really make the most of that time like they do.

7. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall

I'll admit that when it first came out I was a little skeptical - it sounded a lot more like U2 than the Coldplay I was used to - but it's definitely grown on me. The guitar riffs are phenomenal. I would love to be able to play them. The lyrics are catchy but still really meaningful; in fact, the entire song is like that. It has great fast-paced music and is one of the few Coldplay songs I actually want to dance to, but its meaning is miles above some of the other music that's out there. It was a great first single for the album.

8. Major Minus

Okay, I'll be honest: it's not my favorite song on the album. I do sort of like the guitar intro, but the opening lyrics, which repeat in some form or another throughout most of the song, seem kind of simple. The same thing could apply to the meaning - I don't mind it, but it doesn't seem as deep as their songs usually are. None of that bothers me that much, though. The main thing I like about the song is a bit farther in, at "I hear them climbing the stairs..." etc. I like the lyrics there, just not the way they're sung. The song isn't bad - after all, it's Coldplay - and there are several parts of the lyrics I really like, such as "but they don't believe a word, it's just us against the world" (which carries the theme from an earlier song) and "Hear the crocodiles ticking round the world" (which, if I'm not mistaken, is a Peter Pan reference.) It's one of those songs that will probably grow on me, but it's not one of the strongest songs on the album.

9. U.F.O.

I really like the guitar on this song - it's so soft and pretty. The sound is nicely layered without being too busy, and the instrumentals and vocals perfectly compliment each other. It's short and sweet, but definitely not too simple - it has just the right amount of everything, right up through the fantastic ending.

10. Princess of China

This was the song I was looking forward to hearing most, because the title was so intriguing; it was the one I was the most skeptical about once I found out it was a duet with Rihanna; and it's the song I've been the most surprised be. I'm truly shocked by how well it worked. The "oohs" are really strong on this song, and the parts Rihanna and Chris Martin sing blend together really nicely, even if I do feel like her voice overpowers his in one or two places. Overall, it's a fantastic collaboration between two awesome artists.

11. Up In Flames

At first I was sort of indifferent to this song - it didn't stand out to me at first. But I think this is one of those Coldplay songs you don't appreciate until you really listen to the lyrics. They remind me of songs like Sparks or The Scientist in their tone, and they're so heartfelt. You can tell he means every word he's singing. And even though it doesn't have the intense, sweeping sounds of some of their other songs, that sort of thing would be out of place here anyway. After a few listens, I've decided this song is definitely a keeper.

12. A Hopeful Transmission

Similar in sound to Mylo Xyloto, and really helps with the continuity of the album. It's also a wonderful transition between the softer Up In Flames and the more upbeat Don't Let it Break Your Heart. The title really fits, too, since it feels like it's getting more hopeful as it continues. Overall, it's a great song in the perfect place on the album.

13. Don't Let if Break Your Heart

I love, love, love, love, this song. It's right up there with Hurts Like Heaven on my list of personal favorites on this album. I love the synthesizer/whatever instrument is making those awesome sounds in the background. I love the lyrics. I love the message. There's not a whole lot to say about this song, other than that I love everything about it.

14. Up With The Birds

I really like the way this song starts off - it almost sounds like a hymn. It's also very dynamic, and the lyrics read like a poem. It swells a little, then gets quiet, and becomes yet another beautiful Coldplay song with perfectly matched instrumentals and lyrics. Although it's not the most powerful song on the album, I think it was definitely a sweet ending - it leaves me incredibly satisfied with what I just heard while at the same time wanting more.

So to conclude, while this album is different from their previous ones, if you really think about it, all of Coldplay's albums have something unique about them. If all the albums sounded the same, people would be complaining about that - and believe me, they have, even about this album. I don't think it's repetitive or too out there. I think it's Coldplay trying something new, and their success just about blows me away.

~blackandwhitedreamer

The Reading Room (3)

The Reading Room is, as the title implies, an update on my reading list and what books I'm currently absorbed in. This blog feature was inspired by the Ren's On Myshelf at the amazing blog All By Myshelf.

This week has been an AWESOME one for gathering books I've been wanting to read. I finished The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud over the weekend, and I absolutely loved it. I didn't realize how much I missed reading about the antics of the wise-cracking djinni Bartimaeus until I checked out this book from our school library. If you've never read this series before, you definitely should. The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book, and if you're anything like me, once you start reading, you won't be able to stop.

The same day I checked out The Ring of Solomon, I also checked out Across

the Universe by Beth Revis. When I saw it, I was immediately intrigued; there wasn't a lot of information on the back cover, but it was enough to make me curious and make me want to read more. I'm only a few chapters in so far, but I think I like it. It definitely has some very familiar paranormal and dystopian elements, but there's also some sci-fi to it. And although it doesn't quite match up to Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It in terms of how lifelike it is, I definitely feel like I'm right there with the characters. Most of the time, I describe popular Young Adult books as "hit and miss", and while Divergent was sort of a miss, I have a feeling this one's going to be a hit. Hopefully I won't be disappointed.

My reading list only kept improving after that. I went down to the public library last night and realized that it had been far too long since the last time I was there. There were lots of new books I didn't recognize, all of which looked really good. I was just looking over the new book by the author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret when the librarian called me over, saying she had something for me to read. She walks out from behind the circulation desk with nothing other than...

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. As she described it, my face "lit up" when I saw it. I've been wanting to read this book for well over a month now. I started reading it as soon as I got home - never mind the fact that I was already reading another book. (As any member of my family could tell you, if I'm not reading at least two books at once, there's something wrong.) It's amazing. I can't put it down. I was reading it all throughout school today, and can barely stay away from it long enough to write this blog post. While I was down there, I also grabbed The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. It's the second book in The Heroes of Olympus series, and while I don't think the series is as good as Percy Jackson and the Olympians, it's still worth reading.

Then, just when I thought things couldn't get any better, I was informed by a friend that they had the new Christopher Paolini book at a semi-local bookstore. And after I informed my mom of this, she was kind enough to pick it up for me while I was in school. I'm more than excited, although I'm still debating whether I want to reread the other three books before starting this one. It's what I did with Brisingr and it was nice to refresh my memory, but that's also what they have the synopsis for. Either way, I'm very excited to start reading this book...and to continue reading all the others that have come my way recently. I know what I'm doing over Thanksgiving break...

Off to go back to The Night Circus,

~blackandwhitedreamer

What I'm Writing

Hello, everyone! If you've looked at a calendar recently, you've no doubt noticed that it's November. And if you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know what that means for me: National Novel Writing Month.

Because I haven't given you a writing update in awhile, I'll start off by telling you a bit about this year's novel. It's a fantasy (what else?) about a girl named Audrey who goes to visit her uncle David as she does every summer. This year, however, she finds out that he's been keeping secrets from her: he's the guardian of a gateway into another world, the true heart of the earth. Here, the earth is flourishing, and everything related to it comes alive. This land is under the protection of Adaina, queen of the earth who rules over growth and new life, but is threatened by her former co-ruler Iresh, king of the earth, who rules over the other half of the earth's cycle, death. David steps in to help fight off the threat, knowing that if the heart of the earth is destroyed, it means dire consequences for his own world, and Audrey finds herself pulled in too.

This might sound like a really detailed idea, but I didn't start with this much. I started with "There's a girl who goes to visits her uncle, there's a gateway to another world in his garden; in the other world, stone and iron come to life, and everyone's fighting against some sort of dark king." I didn't even decide that this was the idea that I was going to write until October 31. As you can see, I'm "pantsing" it this year. (1)

Because of this, I've gotten off track several times in the last few weeks, and it's taken me awhile to really develop my idea and get the plot going. I'm still not entirely sure of my direction, but I've gained some momentum and I have a feeling that over this weekend and the last week and a half of NaNoWriMo, I'm going to be making a lot of progress and connections and overall making my novel into something halfway decent I can finish in December and edit at some later date.

Word-count wise, I'm about 5,000 words behind. This month has been incredibly busy. There have been things I just can't avoid (like school, homework, choir practices and dance class) and things I could avoid but really don't want to (like reading, sleeping, and playing the hunger games trailer over...and over...and over...) and all of that has caused me to get behind. However, I'm ready to get caught up and back into it. I've promised myself I can download a new Foster the People song if I'm on track by the end of this weekend, and some sort of reward if I complete NaNoWriMo for the third year in a row. Whether it will just be another winner's shirt, the "A Very She & Him Christmas" album or the new book in the Inheritance Cycle, (2) I'm not sure, but just knowing that there will be SOMETHING is enough to keep me motivated - plus the threat of never-ending shame if I didn't finish.

So that's my writing update for this week. Back to writing my novel...

~blackandwhitedreamer

Footnotes (3):

1. "Pantsing" - a NaNoWriMo term referring to jumping into a novel with little no plot and writing "by the seat of your pants"

2. It's not until I list the things I consider rewards that I realize what an Alternative Music Junkie/Bookworm I am.

3. Right now I'm reading The Ring of Solomon, the prequel to The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Hence the inclination towards footnotes.

The Reading Room (2)

Yes, I've finally come up with a name for my weekly reading updates! Incase you haven't read my earlier post, my new feature The Reading Room is an update on the books I'm currently reading and planning to read, and is inspired by Ren's On Myshelf at All By Myshelf.

So, this week: we're still reading To Kill a Mockingbird for English class, and I'm still loving it. As I mentioned earlier, I'd already read the book and its one of my favorites ever, and I love analyzing and discussing it. Today in class we each shared a favorite quote from anywhere in the book and discussed why it was significant to the story. It was definitely one of the most interesting things we've done - right up there with comparing and constrasting Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell and rewriting the trial from another point of view.

Otherwise, the list of books I'm planning to read keeps growing. A girl in my class let me borrow Fallen by Lauren Kate after I saw her constantly reading it in class and asked her if it was any good. Unfortunately, because it's at the bottom of my to-read list and I've been so busy, it's still sitting in my locker. Hopefully I'll be able to bring it home and read it this weekend. I'm not entirely sure what it's about, to be honest - but I'm more than willing to give it a try.

And here's another exciting book-related piece of news: the fourth book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini is finally here. Appropriately titled Inheritance, it's the last book in the series, and I'm definitely excited that its finally out. Sadly, I have a feeling that this book's going to end up being my Christmas present, so I won't be reading it for awhile unless I can convince my dad that it will work better if we just both order it and read it now instead of worrying about who's buying it for who for Christmas. (We came very close to both buying Brisingr for each other two years ago. True story.)

Well, that's all for now. I'll be back next week with another update!

Off to do some reading,

~blackandwhitedreamer

What I'm Reading (1)

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this blog post, although technically it is still Wednesday. I haven't had a chance to write the post until now - which proves one of my earlier concerns, that Wednesdays are going to be way too busy for regular blog posts. Starting next week, my reading updates will be posted on Tuesdays. Now, onto the main event.

Right now, I'm reading The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock

Holmes. It's a collection of short stories about the famous detective, and I love it. Not only are the stories themselves phenomenal, but reading the stories has given me a new appreciation of the movies and how closely followed the original stories -

even including direct quotes from Holmes about Watson. (Sherlock Holmes was one of the few movies I've watched without reading the book first.) If I wasn't a Holmes fanatic before, I am now, and once I finish the short stories I'm definitely going to be reading the rest of the books.

Besides Sherlock Holmes, I'm also reading To Kill a Mockingbird again for English class; I read it before and loved it, and am immensely enjoying what we're doing in class (even if no one else is.) Rereading the book is giving me some new insight into the themes and subplots, and I already have pages of notes - I could probably spend the rest of my life analyzing this book and writing about it and be perfectly happy.

Although those are the only two books I'm in the middle of, my to-read list doesn't end there.

At the same time I checked out Sherlock Holmes from the school library, I also got Divergent. Yes, the book that's been on the front page of the Barnes and Noble website for months and fits in nicely with the other bestselling books for teens. Yes, that Divergent.

It's not like me to read something that's so - mainstream, I know, but I couldn't resist. The Hunger Games excepted, I think that dystopian thrillers are way overdone and on the verge of becoming a fad. I complain about how cliche they're becoming to anyone who will listen - but at the same time, I love anything dystopian so much. I'm a little skeptical about this - after all, I don't know that anything could quite measure up to the Hunger Games, and as with any popular genres (paranormal romance springs to mind) it's hit-and-miss. But we'll see.

I'm also planning to read Quatrain, by Sharon Shinn, which I checked out from the public library last week. I'll be honest and say that I'm not sure that I would have picked up the book if I'd never heard of the author before, but I've read Sharon Shinn's adult and young adult books, and so far I haven't been disappointed.

And finally, as if that weren't enough to keep me busy, my reading list also includes Snow Falling on Cedars. My English teacher recommended it to me after she found out that I'd already read To Kill a Mockingbird. She said that Snow Falling on Cedars has a similar theme of prejudice, and let me borrow one of her copies to read. I haven't had a chance to look at it much yet, but I have a feeling I'll like it - my teacher said it's about a Japanese character in World War II, which is my favorite setting for historical fiction.

So that's my update. It's definitely going to be enough to keep me busy for the rest of the week at least; hopefully I'll have some new books to write about Tuesday.

As an ending note, I haven't had any suggestions for more appealing titles than "What I'm Reading" and "What I'm Writing" for my reading and writing update features. Anyone have any ideas?

Off to read through my mountain of books,

~blackandwhitedreamer

What I'm Writing

So, I've discovered two problems with my new system of blog posts. The first is that I forget to post. I promised new features starting last week, and completely forgot. I'm lame, I know. I'll have to figure out some way to remind myself; maybe I'll set up weekly appointments in iCal.

The second problem is naming these features. "What I'm Writing" sounds so very dull and bland, and I dread the thought of weekly posts titled "What I'm Reading." I need something more exciting and snazzy. Ideas, anyone?

Moving on. Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time for writing lately; school and other activities have left me completely swamped. I have managed to make some progress with the short stories I said I was going to write way back in August; I wrote one a few weeks ago for an English assignment, and have the first few hundred words of another. It doesn't sound like much - well, it isn't - but I have been writing quite a bit, it's just all been papers for school. (I think my best work was the welcome page for a hypothetical website on Ancient Egypt, for my history class. Apparently, I did learn something from my eighth grade english class, because I was supposed to persuade people to visit Egypt.)

Besides short stories and essays, most of my creative mental energy has been focused on preparing for NaNoWriMo. As the countdown on the website excitedly proclaims, there's only ten days left until it starts. Not having much of an outline isn't worrying me as much as the fact that I have two ideas and no idea which one to write. Earlier in the month, when I didn't have any idea what I was going to do in November, I realized that I needed to pick the idea with the most "momentum." Whatever I chose, I needed to feel excited enough to get through an entire month writing at a breakneck speed.

I expected that would make the decision easier, but it hasn't. One idea is a fantasy with a fully developed world and concept, and I know the scale of the plot and what it needs to accomplish, but I don't have any conflict or an antagonist, and I'm not sure I'll be able to come up with something I'm happy with in the short amount of time that I have. The other idea, also fantasy, is very vague: the setting is vague, the plot is vague, the characters are vague; but I also have a vague conflict and a vague villain, which is better than none.

I'm still very undecided. I'll make some notes and hopefully reach a decision before the end of the month; if not, I suppose I'll just have to sit down on November 1 and start writing. Maybe my fingers will make the decision for me as I type, and I won't even have to think about it - muscle memory will write a brilliant novel for me. It could happen. Maybe. Possibly.

Probably not.

Oh well. Off to make a pro-con list for the novels, I suppose,

~blackandwhitedreamer

So here's what I'm thinking...

Remember the last post, where I said I wanted to add some more structure to my blog and have regular features? If you didn't get a chance to read it, just scroll down. I've put some thought into what I want those features to be, and here's what I've come up with so far.

Books: Frequent book reviews - whenever I finished a book that I think is worth reviewing, which will probably be every week or so. I'm also planned to add weekly updates on what I'm reading, what I've finished, and what I'm planning to read next, inspired by Ren's "On Myshelf" at the awesome blog All By Myshelf. The tentative day for posting these updates is Wednesday; if that doesn't work, I may have to move it to Tuesday or Thursday.

Writing: I hesitate to call what I'm planning to post advice, because it's going to be more like a discussion on a certain topic - I'll talk about what causes the problem, if there is one, what other people say about it, and weigh in with my own two cents. Hopefully it'll be more helpful if I'm not trying to solve all the writing problems of the world with my not-even-close-to-all-encompassing knowledge. If you have questions or subjects you'd like me to discuss, leave a comment and let me know. I'm planning to post this every other week on Fridays. The weeks I don't post writing advice/discussion, I'll post updates on what I've been writing recently.

Music: This is probably the area in which I have the least structure; I'll be posting album reviews when I can, and other posts about music will make an appearance. I'm also going to try to include more top ten/favorites lists (like this one) and might make this a regular feature at some point in the future. (It probably won't be restricted to just music, either - I'll include books, authors, and other things.)

Religion: I know this is something that I haven't talked about a lot in my blog, and it's not going to become the main focus or anything; however, I do feel like I need to bring it into my posts somewhat. So I've decided to have a Christian-themed post every Sunday. The reason for this isn't just because church is on Sunday, but because these posts will probably take a little longer to write and I'd like to have the weekend to work on them. The content of this will vary - sometimes it might be a few Bible verses and what I think of them, sometimes it'll be longer and more in-depth, sometimes it'll be short, sometimes even humorous, maybe it'll focus on a significant event in history. I hope you'll enjoy the posts - all four of you, my awesome followers. (I'm not being sarcastic. You really are awesome, even if there are only four of you.)

That's all for now. Having regular posts should improve this blog; if you have any other suggestions or improvements I could make, don't hesitate to leave a comment and let me know! The first of these new features will show up tomorrow, on Friday; I'll start with an update on what I've been writing, and post advice/discussion next week.

Off to start writing all these blog posts,

~blackandwhitedreamer