1. Always In My Head. The general mood of this album seems to fit with the cover art, a deep blue with a sense of being full. At least, that's what I take from it. The first song you hear perfectly represents that feeling, some sort of gliding along. This entire album is perfect for driving home from somewhere at night, and with this song in particular, there isn't that loud climax typically associated with Coldplay songs. It is a steady pulse of soundscapes and guitar riffs, meshed wonderfully with Chris Martin's fantastic voice.
2. Magic. This was the first song I had heard off the album, and when it came on the radio I figured it to be one of another of Coldplay's pop-sounding sounds. It was a nice surprise to be wrong on this one, because again, there's no breakout climax. The more I hear this song, the more it sounds like it belongs on X&Y, which is notably another dark-blue cover.
3. Ink. I haven't looked up the lyrics to many of these songs, but the first time I heard this one, I figured the song title was something like "So Much That It Hurts." Maybe there's a metaphor I'm not seeing yet with tattoos and ink, but this is a nice little song thrown into the album. Not a huge fan of it, but not a song that I'll skip because of it.
4. True Love. This song has an AWESOME chord progression, and spectacular harmonies with the vocals. A-plus composition on this one. This is another great example of how this song sounds like some of Coldplay's older stuff (more on this in a few songs). If Parachutes and X&Y had a musical child, I'm pretty sure it would be this album. Which is fine by me.
5. Midnight. By far my favorite song on the album. The opening pulse is terrific, the vocal effects are incredible, and the song does an absolutely perfect job of tying together the lyrics and tone of the music. In the darkness, before the dawn...leave a light, a light on. Very silver-lining-esque. And the music video taking place in the forest also makes complete sense with how soundscape-y the pulse is. Just a fantastic song.
6. Another's Arms. I haven't listened to this one as much, but I do greatly enjoy the verses. Seems like a cool song to take a video of the city lights as you drive down a main street or something. Either that or maybe this would go well on The Weather Channel while they're showing the weekend forecast. I'll leave it up to you.
7. Oceans. See - child of Parachutes and X&Y. This is one of the most peaceful songs I've ever heard. Totally love the drum pad sounding like drops of water into the ocean, totally love Chris Martin's voice trailing lightly along, and the small differences in chords are incredible. Sounds like a melancholy-but-in-the-reminiscent-and-happy way to remember someone you lost. Beautiful song.
8. A Sky Full of Stars. Alright, so there is one song on the album that is upbeat, pop-sounding, and has a climax. It's this one. It's totally cool though because Coldplay has a lot of fun with it, and I can only image the dance parties that go on at live shows. The music video is also so Coldplay, it hurts. Enjoy.
9. O. Not really sure what to make of this song, because it's another that I haven't listened a ton to. It's a sweet and smooth ending to an incredible album, and I think that the video below is a great representation of the kind of ending it has to the album. I believe this song is also referred to as "Fly On," or perhaps "O (Fly On)," which makes sense. In any event, another good song.
And that's Ghost Stories. It might be the best album of the six that Coldplay has put out thus far, which is a bold claim for a band of such high acclaim. But one of the six albums has to be the best, so why not this one? What do you think?
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