Mylo Xyloto
by Coldplay
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Oct 24, 2011
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 487 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 358 out of 487
  2. Mixed: 84 out of 487
  3. Negative: 45 out of 487
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  1. jcookee89
    Dec 18, 2011
    2
    Big big fan of the first two coldplay albums, some of the third and maybe a couple of moments on the fourth. This album seems to follow the trend fairly well. Chris martin is clearly a talented song writer and put a hell of a lot into the earlier work, and once the success hit his focus fairly abruptly changed from writing great songs to creating concepts and imaged, and trying to be thisBig big fan of the first two coldplay albums, some of the third and maybe a couple of moments on the fourth. This album seems to follow the trend fairly well. Chris martin is clearly a talented song writer and put a hell of a lot into the earlier work, and once the success hit his focus fairly abruptly changed from writing great songs to creating concepts and imaged, and trying to be this third world ambassador, at which point his head has become as big as bono's and everything sounds completely washed out and average. I hope this lazily written piece of mediocrity flops as to bring him down to earth, but the reality is it will be very successful and chris martin will continue to pollute our listening spaces for years to come… Collapse
  2. House0fWolves_
    Dec 16, 2011
    0
    I'm angry at Coldplay for this piece of junk. Like My Chemical Romance, U2, and The Cure the newest album from each seems to be their worst. I'd like to see Coldplay in concert again when this album dies down.
  3. ginseng
    Nov 1, 2011
    3
    Just terrible. I loved the first two Coldplay albums and half of the third album. I honestly shake my head when I hear glowing reviews of this album. The lyrics are trite, the music is boring. The production is good, but with a multi-million dollar budget I could make just as good an album. And that's not bragging.
  4. radiobenji
    Nov 4, 2011
    0
    I checked this out at the recommendation of a friend and I was really annoyed, they must hate me because every song seemed to grate on my nerves. What a huge disappointment from the world's biggest band.
  5. Apart
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Insipid "music". This is far from being alternative rock, actually this is very mediocre pop. Rihanna? Seriously. They just can't get any lower than that. It'll definitely be their worst reviewed album and one of the worst of the year. Too bad. I wouldn't buy this if I were you.
  6. Robnads
    Oct 24, 2011
    3
    Mylo Xyloto is a huge disappointment. Yes, it is terrific production, but other than the single, "Paradise", Chris Martin's songwriting is surprisingly weak and the album lack the cohesion of "Viva La Vida". It's a foray into cheesy contemporary pop and electronica. Growing musically is great, to latching on to a genre that creates worse music than they do is a huge mistake. As aMylo Xyloto is a huge disappointment. Yes, it is terrific production, but other than the single, "Paradise", Chris Martin's songwriting is surprisingly weak and the album lack the cohesion of "Viva La Vida". It's a foray into cheesy contemporary pop and electronica. Growing musically is great, to latching on to a genre that creates worse music than they do is a huge mistake. As a Coldplay fan, I think I'll pretend this album never happened and hope Martin goes back to putting songwriting first on the next one. Here, it feels like he's scraping the bottom of the barrel.… Expand
  7. acolourfulsoul
    Oct 24, 2011
    0
    Definitely not as good as their earlier albums. The single Paradise is catchy and even Every Teardrop is all right, but the so far fan favourite, Charlie Brown, is dull and definitely not living up even slightly to any of the praise it's gotten. I stopped liking Coldplay after X&Y and this did not bring me back.
  8. Teaspoon
    Oct 25, 2011
    3
    Somewhere under the layers of bleeps and bloops that make up Coldplay's allegedly "more acoustic" fifth studio LP -- the oddly titled 'Mylo Xyloto' -- there lays some form of melody and emotion... or so one would assume. If you are struggling to distinguish it also, you should instead move on to trying to spot the 'concept' weaved into the lyrical tapestry; this concept being -- ratherSomewhere under the layers of bleeps and bloops that make up Coldplay's allegedly "more acoustic" fifth studio LP -- the oddly titled 'Mylo Xyloto' -- there lays some form of melody and emotion... or so one would assume. If you are struggling to distinguish it also, you should instead move on to trying to spot the 'concept' weaved into the lyrical tapestry; this concept being -- rather bland and uninspiringly -- a tale of two lovers (named Mylo and Xyloto) trapped in the unforgiving streets of Urbtopia, finding comfort only in the arms of each other. This is as far as the 'concept' (and I struggle to name that, with confidence, to something so trivial) goes, plainly because it isn't followed with enough interest by Martin's songwriting.

    That being said, what did Martin actually write? Elements of 'Every Teardrop...' are admittedly -- and shamelessly -- sampled from "I Go to Rio" by Peter Allen and Adrienne Anderson; whereas "Princess of China" (which features Rihanna, by the way) is accused of plagiarism from the song "Chanting at the Alley" by Vietnamese singer Ha Tran. Not only this, but the rest of the tracks are more like 'spot the influence'. The only predominantly acoustic track, 'U.F.O', takes "Lord I don't know which way I am going/Which way the river gonna flow" right out of Bob Dylan's 'Songwriting for Dummies' book, while the penultimate number 'Don't Let it Break Your Heart' nabs the scale and power from U2's back catalogue. Surely if your inspirations bleed through as much as they do by the time you have made your fifth studio album, your musical credibility must be questioned?

    I feel a little remorse actually, since you can say quite confidently -- using the 250-or-so words above -- that I think Mylo Xyloto is the worst album ever made -- but I really don't. Coldplay have made a fan-pleasing record here, and this is evident by the other reviews on this website. You could argue that Colplay fans have the musical knowledge of a teaspoon, but take it from this Teaspoon -- this is as about as good as modern pop gets, even if it is aimed at (practically, no offense) scum.    … Expand
  9. thefacehead
    Nov 12, 2011
    0
    Mylo Xyloto AKA How To Make Money By Writing Bland Insipid Noises Part 5. Yes 5 albums in and Q magazine are still loving the Coldplay, "Music this uplifting, this inspirational, belongs among the stars" they say, well it belongs somewhere and it's definetly not the stars! I read such tripe open mouthed almost stunned that an actual music magazine can buy in to this rubbish and tell it'sMylo Xyloto AKA How To Make Money By Writing Bland Insipid Noises Part 5. Yes 5 albums in and Q magazine are still loving the Coldplay, "Music this uplifting, this inspirational, belongs among the stars" they say, well it belongs somewhere and it's definetly not the stars! I read such tripe open mouthed almost stunned that an actual music magazine can buy in to this rubbish and tell it's readers to waste their money. But hell it's a 'concept' album, so that makes it all right then. 1 star for concept, minus 1 for "paradise" = 0. Lovely!… Expand
  10. dam1730
    Oct 29, 2011
    2
    Definitely the worst Coldplay album so far. Only a few songs are listenable. It is a break from their usual style, but it is too far of a break. In Viva la Vida, Coldplay changed their style, but it made sense. This album is simply too far away from what we're used to from Coldplay. Also, the album doesn't seem to fit together. Viva la Vida told a story, Mylo Xyloto is a mess.
  11. normankant
    Jun 11, 2015
    3
    Coldplay definitely goes for mainstream silly pop in this record. Songs are simplistic and sound artificially composed. There's no emotion or inspiration in this album, it's just a collection of perfectly crafted hit parade tracks. The production of Brian Eno adds nothing but an excessive grandeur to this annoying mess.

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Most Discussed Album of 2011
17
#17 Most Shared Album of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 39
  3. Negative: 2 out of 39
  1. Under The Radar
    Nov 28, 2011
    70
    Mylo Xyloto feels like it was created by an actual rock band, with each player stepping up his game.
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  2. Sputnikmusic
    Nov 14, 2011
    100
    Mylo Xyloto proves that Coldplay are quite simply the best pop band in the world, bar none.
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  3. Filter
    Nov 8, 2011
    70
    With all the bells and whistles in prominent display, Coldplay may have made their most enjoyable album. I only hope the sourpusses enjoy it.
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