A Head Full of Dreams begins with the self-titled track that encapsulates the excitement Coldplay experienced putting this album together. An infectious guitar riff is only partially eclipsed by Chris Martin's smooth vocals as the song roars on, high tempo and unrelenting. The title, "A Head Full of Dreams," references the dream-like fantasy Coldplay is attempting to impart upon us throughout their seventh studio album, released on December 4, 2015.
Boasting 11 tracks and clocking-in at just over 45 minutes, A Head Full of Dreams packs a punch. Guitarist Jonny Buckland called A Head Full of Dreams "night to the day" in comparison to 2014's Ghost Stories. Ghost Stories was released on the cusp of Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's "conscious uncoupling," and the themes and sounds explored on the album were definitively the band's deepest and darkest on their discography. But on A Head Full of Dreams, not only are the music and lyrics brighter and more colorful, but the outside talent employed to help paint this picture are natural additions. Beyoncé, Tove Lo, and Barack Obama are just some of the influences brought onto this album.
"Hymn for the Weekend" features a nonchalant (and uncredited) Beyoncé backing vocal. The level of depth added to the vocals on this track from Beyoncé is virtually indescribable -- in many ways, the harmonies on this song are reminiscent of the Rihanna feature on "Princess of China" from 2011's Mylo Xyloto, and in others, this song is stylistically more of a Beyoncé song than a Coldplay one. In the last quarter of the song, Chris Martin effectively takes the back seat, all while Beyoncé floats atop the guitar and percussion crescendos and fades out angelically. "Hymn for the Weekend" is a song that shines limelight on the creative strides the band has taken from their earlier albums.
The broken-down, sentimental side of the band that was so prominent in Ghost Stories carried over into a couple tracks on A Head Full of Dreams. "Everglow," the second single released from the album, highlights the sort of melancholy that we were last left with in 2014. But the track-to-track creative transitioning that Coldplay employed on Mylo Xyloto remains a distinguishing characteristic of A Head Full of Dreams -- after "Everglow," "Adventure of a Lifetime" serves as a stark juxtaposition. The first single from the album, "Adventure of a Lifetime" also functioned as Coldplay's album announcement upon its release in early November. "Adventure of a Lifetime"'s music video features Coldplay as chimpanzees who learn to play music, a scene as harmlessly nonsensical as the giddiness the high-pitched guitar riff throughout the track makes you feel.
"Fun" paints an uplifting, airy scene bolstered by the beautifully-meshed duet with Swedish pop singer Tove Lo. Distant, distorted guitar introduces Chris Martin's vocals, and he makes his crooning seem effortless. Tove Lo's voice weaves seamlessly with Chris Martin's, as they innocently ask one another, "Didn't we have fun?" An equally immersive experience, "Army of One" makes great use of synthesized organs for backing, and at a quick 3:30, it leaves its mark without you even realizing it.
A Head Full of Stars is an important album for Coldplay. After the dramatic creative shift on Ghost Stories, this new release proves that the band is back. They've released worldwide tour dates already in support of A Head Full of Dreams, and with the announcement that they will be playing the Super Bowl halftime show, this album will be heard by a lot of people that might have not picked up the album on their own. And that's a good thing. A Head Full of Dreams is a triumphant reclaiming of a throne Coldplay so fundamentally deserves. Welcome back.
