Grammy Award winners Coldplay released their ninth studio album, “Music of The Spheres” on Oct. 15. The concept album is in many ways a journey into uncharted territory for the band, which has garnered worldwide popularity in the past with songs like “Paradise,” “The Scientist” and “Something Just Like This.” 

“Music of The Spheres” describes a planetary system, with each song embodying the spirit of a fictional planet, star or nebula. The entire album is an experiment with soundscapes and thus, is quite varied stylistically. The first track, also named “Music of The Spheres,” is a brief introduction to both the album and the song which follows it, “Higher Power.” The transition between the two is seamless, something most songs on the album can boast, making the listening experience enjoyable. 

“Higher Power” builds on the brief celestial sounding music of the opening track and quickly captures the attention of the listener with its strong synths and catchy rhythm. The song was initially released as a single that served as a teaser for the album, and is almost certainly one of the stronger and more “traditional Coldplay” tracks on the album. 

The entire album feels as though it is building towards something, and the something is a collaboration with South Korean international sensation BTS (“Dynamite”), “My Universe.” The collaboration is uplifting and energetic, and it serves as a fitting representation of the album as a whole. The mix of English and Korean is a reminder of everything Coldplay stands for as a band: inclusivity and diversity.

“My Universe” is not the only song involving other artists however, as Selena Gomez (“Hands to Myself,”) and We Are KING (“The Greatest”) as well as Jacob Collier (“All I Need”) feature on “Let Somebody Go” and “Human Heart” (stylized as a red heart emoji) respectively. 

“Infinity Sign” (stylized as the infinity sign emoji), is a testament to the worldwide popularity of Coldplay, as the introduction of the song features a crowd of South American fans singing the familiar “Olé” chant at a concert. Frontman Chris Martin follows this with the Latin words “Spiritus Sanctum” (Holy Spirit) in a repetitive, sacred prayer. 

The album’s last track, “Coloratura,” is perhaps Coldplay’s most intriguing and impressive undertaking yet. The nearly eleven minute epic borrows its name from an operatic style of music that features consistent runs and large melodic leaps. The song itself features these sweeping movements and sudden shifts in style throughout its duration, and is an impressive demonstration of the musical talent and vision of the group. “Coloratura” sounds reminiscent of several past Coldplay works due to its trodding, introspective tone. It proves to be a fitting end to an album that is in itself incredibly varied and diverse melodically. 

“Music of The Spheres” is perhaps better described as a listening experience than an album, and works well in the sense that it feels like a living breathing work, as opposed to a collection of individual songs. Martin’s vocal performance is akin to what one would expect from him: technical, yet emotional and unique. Several of the songs have terrific re-listen value, and the whole album is more than reasonable to listen to in a sitting. 

Image from Coldplay via YouTube