The sound of Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto

During an interview on Hamish and Andy’s Gap year Coldplay, front man Chris Martin said the band wanted an album title that was completely unique, with nothing but the music giving the words meaning. So, what does Mylo Xyloto mean?

Kicking off with the titular song, Mylo Xyloto offers a warm greeting to listeners before adopting a rapid tempo that sucks them into their world. Instantly listerners know Mylo Xyloto won’t be another linear exercise, instead it’ll take them on a hike with highs and lows.

Follow up tracks like Hurts like Heaven, Charlie Brown and their album debuting Every Teardrop is a Waterfall charter familiar Coldplay sounds, distinguished by rhythmic instruments and the soothing complements of Martin’s voice. These gentle rock tracks strike the perfect balance between vocals and audio, with each adding to one another. As with Violet Hill, the lyrical narrative sets up climactic musical ballads that make them emotive, albeit not as profound.

There are momentary detours with Us Against the World and U.F.O, donning a sombre mood through Martin’s lonely voice and the plucking strings of a desperate guitar. Potent instruments typically dominate so many of Coldplay’s songs that it’s easy to overlook Martin’s vocal abilities. But in Us Against the World his vocal demeanour conjures thoughts of longed, wishful thinking:

And if we could float away

Fly up to the surface and just start again

And lift off before trouble

Just erodes us in the rain

Breaking up the album are a few short tracks that prelude others, acting as music foreplay to prep listeners for songs to follow. Such is the case with M.M.I.X as it leads into Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.  

They don’t fall into the trap of simply repeating themselves by including a hybridised Rock/R&B track with Rihanna called Princess of China. Coupling the two—almost antithetical—genres could’ve resulted in travesty, but somehow their differences complement one another, giving rock more bass while its R&B counterpart benefits from a smoother, acoustic melody.

The impressionable Up In Flames also benefits from R&B character with the same poignant bass lining the gaping piano presence, all tied together with Martin’s lonely voice.

Don’t Let it Break Your Heart comes closest to replicating the old Coldplay magic found in Fix You and Yellow, although not as deep. With a quicker pace and the universal empathy that stems from broken hearts, it’s arguably the track that’ll have fellow commuters catching you sing out loud.

To conclude what is meant to be an enigmatic step forward for the band is Up with the Birds which brings to mind Ray Charles’ What a Wonderful World. Slow and mellow, it does its part as an album filler.

By the album’s end you learn that Mylo Xyloto must be synonymous with “not their best.” Although it’s a good album, that’ll easily fill in dead silence, it’s obvious that each track has an expiry date, growing tiresome instead of timeless. 

By Tony Ibrahim

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First Look at Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

I was lucky enough to have some play time with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Wanna know my first impression?

There's no beating around the bushes here: based on the 20 minutes of playtime I had with the upcoming Metal Gear game, it is going to be exhilarating. Players will enter the world vicariously through Raiden, whose ninja prowess has only quantified with his cyborg upgrades. He and his electrified blade don't fight as much as they tango under and between cascades of sensationalised blood.

Part human, part cyborg, Raiden uses his sword as though it is an extension of his body and can slice the skin off of an elbow; literally, that's the extent of control players have. Eager gamers can dissect characters many times over, decapitating them or grating them one limb at a time.

It is undeniably graphic and extreme, with the production team exploiting the violence akin to anime. Those familiar with the films of Quentin Tarintino will see some similarities as it has been stylised to complement the visuals while intensifying action.

Based on Raiden's intricate manoeuvres and the sheer speed of gameplay, you'd presume the controls would involve a complex string of combos, but they're surprisingly easy. In the same way the Arkham series of Batman games rely upon timing to execute acrobatic moves, Metal Gear Rising strings together a simple series of commands to produce exuberant action.

What is missing—at least from our brief demo—is the espionage Snake and Raiden put to work in previous Metal Gears. The skill you'd previously use when walking behind an enemy sentry to hold him up appears absent, and if it is nowhere to be found in the end game, that's disappointing. Metal Gear is known for its ability to produce enthralling action from rhythmically slow—and therefore patient—gameplay. With MGR it appears that may have been swapped for an ongoing adrenaline rush.

Although the graphics appeared fine, the demo wasn't 100% polished. We will comment on them when we handle something more substantial.

But in the interim, gamers can rest assured the ethos of the Metal Gear franchise will live on in Revengeance.

By Tony Ibrahim

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Warrior is brutally rewarding

Warrior takes two estranged brothers torn apart by a reformed alcoholic father and unites them through the violent and unforgiving sport of mixed martial arts. Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton), the eldest brother, is a physics teacher tortured by his daughter’s medical expenses and the paralysis of not being able to help her. Financially, he sits on the precipice of middle-class and broke, with momentum going against him.

In his early teens, His brother Tommy (Tom Hardy) fled with his mum in a bid to escape his bottle-dependant father. The film opens with Tommy returning to his home town, his stint with the army turning him to the same substance that tore his family apart, confronting his dad (Nick Nolte) with loaded dialogue that pierces the skin.

The three characters are inextricably drawn towards a mixed martial arts tournament that promises the sole winner a big payout. Brendan enters the tournament looking for the capitalist face that handicaps his breadwinner abilities, while Tommy, under the cold tutelage of his father, signs up looking for something more.

You can’t help but cringe when watching a UFC fight. It brutally pits men against one another and plays our Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ notion. Warrior faithfully replicates the gut-wrenching magnetism that has seen the sport thrive, but the face-shattering punches only tickle the surface.

The real gravity comes from the film’s visceral emotional core, with the relationship between the two sons and their father playing out in a bout significantly more violent and rewarding than UFC. The complex interplay is woven within the characters, their story, the music and the sublime performances of all three actors. Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte in particular deserve recognition for their portrayal of checkered characters who will undeniably win the audience’s affection.

Warrior starts off with damaged characters that embark on a million-to-one premise punctuated by unchartered lows and ecstatic highs, only to come full circle. It achieves an elusive kind of equilibrium, gracefully feeling authentic and granting its somewhat-implausible narrative with characters so tangible—so real—it seems plausible, believable, and is utterly, utterly engrossing.

By Tony Ibrahim

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