There’s no shortage of shine on Coldplay’s seventh studio effort. In case you couldn’t tell from the kaleidoscopic, technicolour album cover, it’s heavy on happiness. It’s consistently uplifting and bright, and its best moments feature powerful orchestral sweeps, a surprisingly adept disco hook and even some gospel. But the lyrics are often so cringe-worthy that A Head Full Of Dreams comes off like that one friend of yours who’s so positive you want to punch him.
For example, the line “Oh, angel sent from up above / You know you make my world light up” opens Hymn For The Weekend, primed with a Beyoncé guest vocal and head-nodding piano line. While Army Of One harkens back to the streamlined Britpop that made Coldplay huge, with soaring, organ-fuelled pop that ends too soon, after a short silence it becomes “hidden” track X Marks The Spot, all ill-advised hip-hop/R&B hybrid. Noel Gallagher’s phoned-in guitar solo on closer Up & Up only contributes to the album’s bloated-ness, but the song also sounds grand and beautiful.
Everyone loves a great smile, but A Head Full Of Dreams doesn’t have any teeth.
Top track: Army Of One
