New Music Reviews - 10/25/2011 - Coldplay, Good Natured, and Skinny Puppy

Coldplay Mylo Xyloto - The Chris Martin fronted four person pop band from London, England return for their fifth studio album.  Just like on their last album, Viva la Vida, the godfather of ambient music, Brian Eno, returns as a co-producer and sometimes co-song writer on Coldplay's new release.  Originally set for release in December 2010, the disc was pushed back nearly a year as the band couldn't find time to put the finishing touches on the album while they were still touring for Viva la Vida. 

After a quick 43-second opener, the album opens with the quick tempo and catchy "Hurts Like Heaven" where Martin's vocals are allowed to shine in a song about lost love ("You use your heart as a weapon/and it hurts like heaven").  "Paradise" opens with a beautiful violin melody before Eno-influenced electronica is layered on along side Martin's expected piano playing to create one well crafted and sweeping song that is reminiscent of their past glories.

"Princess of China" is a electronica heavy track with a catchy hook that features guest vocals by Rihanna on another song about a romance gone sour ("I could've been a
princess, you'd be a king/Could have had a castle and wore a ring").  Unfortunately, there are a handful of songs like "U.F.O." and "Up in Flames" that are overly melancholy which make them difficult to listen to and lessen the message the band tries to convey in its lyrics. 

Overall, Mylo Xyloto is an album that soars very high the majority of the time although there are a couple of tracks that meander aimlessly preventing the album from being mentioned among the bands all-time bests.  Martin's typical falsetto voice meshes well especially on the more up tempo tracks with soaring harmonies and he still manages to wring out every ounce of emotion when the individual tracks call for him to do so.  Eno's influence is instantly recognizable and a once again important addition that helps bring some welcome energy to a handful of the tracks.  Coldplay once again releases an album that plays to its strengths although the album as a whole isn't the band's strongest release by any means.

Score: 8/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Paradise" [sample it below], "Charlie Brown", and "Princess of China" 

The Good Natured Skeleton - Skeleton is an EP by the three person British electropop band The Good Natured that features real life sister and brother Sarah (vocals and keyboards) and Hamish (bass) McIntosh along with college mate George Hinton (drums).  The disc features seven songs in total including one remix of the title track.  If this is your first introduction to the band, they have a sound that reminds me of Ladytron mixed with the song writing sensibilities of a Siouxie & the Banshees. The eponymous "Skeleton," which is also being released as a single, is the real breakout from the disc with eerie, Siouxie-esque vocals and a catchy and fast tempo eletropop melody heavy on the synthesizers.  While this is not a disc I would recommend to everyone, there is enough potential shining through to inform people this is a band to keep an ear out for in the future. 

Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Skeleton" [sample it below] and "Be My Animal"

Skinny Puppy hanDover - The industrial/dark ambient electronica quartet from Vancouver, B.C. release their first album since 2007's Mythmaker.  This album trumpets a return to the weird, gothic sounding elctronica ways of their earlier works with its dark melodies and chilling vocal work.  One thing, however, that is different from their earlier works is the integration of more analog instruments which tones down some of the tracks towards a greater ambient feeling.  For example, the piano solo at the end of "Wavy" is beautiful and haunting and makes a wonderful counterpoint to the industrial beat that dominates the chorus and bridge of the song.  Overall, the band has toned down its style for a portion of the album but the lighter touches help create a more well balanced disc.

Score: 7/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Wavy" and "Gambatte"