Sometimes it seems like Coldplay has multiple personalities. There's the band that is willing to constantly experiment with their sound. The one who chose to work with 70s ambient guru Brian Eno in order to find new sonic textures (and to be more like Bono and crew). The one whose guitarist, Jonny Buckland, is one of the more underrated shredders in contemporary rock music.
But then you have the band that is willing to fall into the background while Chris Martin croons for the swooning masses. You have the one with the naked commercial ambition, churning out hits for the lowest common denominator. You have the group that freely apes successful bands (U2, Radiohead) who have come before them in an effort to achieve musical immortality. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you are an optimist), both of these entities rear their heads on the band's fifth studio album, the oddly titled Mylo Xyloto.
