Let’s get it out in the open right away: There are quite a few people in this world who hate Coldplay and quite a few people who love them. They stand in a niche entirely their own and pose a question that could be extended to multiple categories: How can something so agreeable be found so disagreeable to many people’s sensibilities? Coldplay is not guilty of the sins of bubblegum pop nor of the occasional overindulgences of rock, indie, metal or otherwise. Yet they still manage to find a warm spot in the hearts of some and utter detestation in others. Their new live record, “Live 2012,” manages to give the listener an entry-level course in the polarizing nature of Coldplay’s sound.
Sound could be bland to some and inviting to others
Coldplay’s introductory salvo, the instrumental “Mylo Xyloto,” aims at creating a sonic gateway into the rest of their set list. “Hurts Like Heaven” and old favorite “In My Place” borrow U2’s guitar but create their own ethos. Where U2 reaches for the heavens, Coldplay seems intent on using their music to create a more earthly sense of community. Bono’s prayers and protests are absent from Martin’s lyrics, which favor earthy encouragement and melancholy acceptance.
The tone of their concerts reaches through on this album in spades. But it also suggests why their music is so friendly to some and hostile to others. As the band has progressed, so has their desire to please while trying to appear like musical pioneers. Having seen three Coldplay concerts myself, I can attest that some of Martin’s previously characteristic earnest charm is lost on this album. The “Mylo Xyloto” era has seemed to be evidence of an identity crisis more than auditory evolution. His Springsteenian queries and rave master demands — “Is there anybody out there?!” or “Jump! Jump! Jump!” — sound strangely out of place.
Old songs sound better live than their newer ones
Most of the album’s highlights come from the performances of old Coldplay classics. “Yellow” gets a soft piano intro before exploding into its nearly classic, shoegaze-lite guitar lines. “Clocks” and “Fix You” are unsurprisingly sublime and “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face” is reworked into something at once delicate and brilliantly percussive. The most current tracks like “Princess of China” and “Up in Flames” benefit a bit from a live treatment but remain subpar to earlier material.
Listening to a live record can vary from artist to artist. Occasionally the songs take on life they never had before, while some bands are guilty of just making a mixtape of their own songs punctuated by audience applause. Coldplay’s latest falls somewhere in the middle. Even in comparison to their previous live work, this one rests a little blandly. “Live 2003” breathed nearly spiritual rejuvenation and icy joy into all their early songs while also introducing listeners to some of their deeper cuts or b-sides. “LeftRightLeftRight” captured the armband-wearing, carpe diem reinvention of the Viva la Vida tour with gusto, additionally holding the sentimentality of being given out for free at their concerts. These were albums that made the argument against Coldplay sound like nonsense.
“Live 2012” is fun and certainly won’t lose any fans. But there’s something unplaceable here that makes the band sound like they’ve lost hold of what made them so unique and humbly magnificent in the first place. It can get to be too much of a wannabe rave, a feigned Bruce Springsteen concert and an overly energetic plea for wider acceptance.
