It's near-on impossible to listen to Coldplay's latest record without thinking of Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's recent 'conscious uncoupling'. Ghost Stories is possibly one of the most indulgent heartbreak records I've come across in a while and while I don't particularly care for the tabloid aspect of the Martin/Paltrow divorce, this album makes me want to give Martin both a hug and a slap upside the head to get him out of whatever funk he was in at the time of writing these tracks.
To be honest, I haven't really dug a whole Coldplay record since Parachutes/A Rush of Blood to the Head. They've been a 'bits and pieces' band for me, but there's something about Ghost Stories that made me interested in them further than two or three songs. If you're a fan of the radio smash "Magic", you're going to enjoy Ghost Stories. There are tracks on here which rival the emotional punch "The Scientist" and "Fix You" had, lyrically, something I wasn't sure Martin would be able to achieve. Whether or not they'll have the same longevity remains to be seen, but listen to "True Love" ('Tell me that you love me; if you don't, then lie to me') or "A Sky Full of Stars" ('I don't care, go on and tear me apart, I don't care if you do') - there's that sense of how well these two in particular would go down at live arena shows that is undeniable.
Before I had heard "Magic", many friends were telling me that I needed to listen to it because it was so good. I didn't know where this was coming from as it seems like openly enjoying Coldplay in a mainstream sense is veering into Nickelback territory. However, on listening to the album's first single, I got it. It's simple in arrangement and production, but the mellow nature of the song put it in direct contrast to every other auto-tuned rap/electro tune dominating commercial radio at the moment and in this way, it's a refreshing release.
"Midnight" and "O" are the stand out tracks on Ghost Stories, both standing out as beautiful moments within the misery and depression. Martin is incredibly confessional on this album which is slightly unsettling on your first listen of the record, perhaps because he's remained so private in every other capacity. There are no uplifting anthemic melodies which have made appearances on other Coldplay albums and to be honest, it would come across as insincere if they did on this particular album. You'd be forgiven in thinking the rest of the band act merely as supports/background musicians for Martin's outpouring of pain via lyricism. The production and the way Coldplay have distanced themselves from the bigger sounds they've been associated with in the past however, is something to be noted - it's been done well here.
If one was to associate Ghost Stories with a stage of a major break up, it's definitely that stage where everything you see is a reminder of that person and you spend at least a week indoors moping around. It's the guts of the hurt. The good thing is that, by the end of the album - "O" especially - Ghost Stories gets to that glimmer of light stage, where you get out of bed and finally start acting like a functioning human again.
Take away this positive, at the very least: It's nowhere near as grating as Mylo Xyloto.
Review Score: 7.5 out of 10.
Ghost Stories is out now through Parlophone/Warner.
