Brian Eno & Coldplay Review

Jim and Greg are joined by legendary producer, electronic music pioneer and philosopher Brian Eno. Later they review the latest album by frequent Eno collaborators, Coldplay.

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Spotify and other digital streaming services are definitely the wave of the future. But some artists are eschewing streaming for more traditional methods of marketing and distribution. Coldplay, for one, has decided not to make its new album Mylo Xyloto available to Spotify, Rdio and Rhapsody. In addition, Tom Waits and Adele have said no thank you. The reasons behind this may be similar to ones we've heard from old school acts like Pink Floydand AC/DC-they want their albums heard as a whole, not broken up into singles. But, as Greg points out, it may simply be that acts as big as these don't need streaming services. They're doing just fine on their own with radio and a large fan base behind them. Just look at Adele and Coldplay, both sales success stories for 2011.

Brian Eno

Frequent Sound Opinions listeners know they can count on one thing: Brian Eno references. In fact some have taken to making it a drinking game. The legendary producer and electronic music pioneer seems to come up no matter what Jim and Greg are talking about. And for good reason-Eno is not just an innovator in the experimental world, but a major pop force as well, first as a member of the new wave band Roxy Music, then as a producer and collaborator with David Byrne and the Talking Heads, John Cale, Devo, U2 and Coldplay. He also composes solo work as well, though whether or not he'll use lyrics, singing or poetry is never known. His last album Drums Between the Bells was inspired by the poetry of Rick Holland. And he has a new EP called Panic of Looking. Brian joins Jim and Greg from England and shares his unique philosophies on writing, recording and the studio as an instrument.

Mylo Xyloto Coldplay

Mylo Xyloto

One band that has been working with Brian Eno in recent years is Coldplay. They first linked up for Viva La Vida in 2008. And now Eno has co-written songs for their 5th album Mylo Xyloto. It has already shot to #1, but does it deserve it? Jim compares the band to rice pudding. It's never phenomenal, but sometimes exactly what you want and need. But rice pudding should never be deconstructed or overcomplicated, and perhaps that's where the band went wrong with this release. Eno's presence alone doesn't make them any more experimental. And he didn't do much to improve the inauthentic and melodramatic lyrics. Jim says Trash It. Greg agrees, but admits the Coldplay lyrics game is quite a fun one. He is disappointed by the stale arena rock formula and accuses them of cribbing notes from Bruce Springsteen, or worse The Killers imitating Springsteen. Mylo Xyloto gets a double Trash It.

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