Elsewhere, “Ink” is the sort of mid-tempo number that Coldplay could probably write in their sleep – “ Got a tattoo that said ‘Together through Life’/Carved in your name with my pocket knife,” begins Martin above a bed of delightful percussion and spindly guitar strokes – while “True Love” in turn manages to overcome its decidedly hokey subject matter to culminate in a bridge that is easily one of the album’s more poignant moments. Even his ridiculous vocal calisthenics (“ I call it maaaaaa, maa-maa-maa-aaa-gicc!” goes the frontman at one point) have enough pathos in them to end up being a success.
Martin’s in-character narrative also variously cycles through a compelling medley of self-pity, wistfulness, and outright despair: “ If you were to ask me/After all that we’ve been through/Still believe in magic? Well yes, I do,” he sighs. “Magic” is an absolute joy to listen to, with its insistent bass riff – as well as its supple keys and watery guitar – establishing a real sense of purpose and direction, elements that the rest of the record tends to lack. The album’s best stretch takes place in its opening half, with the triumvirate of “Magic”, “Ink”, and “True Love” being particularly solid compositions. Ghost Stories does have several interesting moments, but they don’t come in large enough clumps to make one feel genuinely partial to the entirety of Martin's lovelorn parade. But while Mylo Xyloto was a triumphant excursion to infinity and beyond, Coldplay’s attempt at plumbing the depths of the human heart only serves to make them seem sluggish and heavy-handed Chris Martin might soon come to regret making this particular collection of songs his grand break-up album.
In contrast, Coldplay’s last outing, 2011’s Mylo Xyloto, was nothing short of a polyphonic explosion, and this has the effect of immediately casting Ghost Stories as a denouement of sorts.
#Coldplay ghost stories review best plus
Now, I’m fairly certain that this isn’t the first time anyone’s ever thought of doing something like this (hello Beck), plus this sort of base idea for a concept album is fairly hackneyed anyway, but the real take-home message here is that there’s a tangible atmosphere of introspection and commiseration that pervades Ghost Stories. Too bad, then, that these lovable Brits don’t seem to be the slightest bit bothered with maintaining any semblance of subtlety – Ghost Stories is quick to make clear that it is a breakup album and not much else, with Martin’s nine-song narrative charting a steady parabolic curve through the various emotional states of a man who has just endured a sudden and dramatic end to his relationship (spoiler alert: it ends with his eventual acceptance of the situation). Accordingly, Coldplay’s Ghost Stories, which is at least partly inspired by vocalist Chris Martin’s recent relationship troubles with Gwyneth Paltrow, deserves to be approached with some initial trepidation. Albums released in the aftermath of a failed relationship tend to be particularly tricky to review, mainly as there’s no reliable way of telling when an artist might be drawing from personal experience or is simply exercising some artistic liberty.
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