Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto

Coldplay powers up a big pop sound and pays tribute to New York City graffiti artists and resistance movements on this latest collaboration with producer Brian Eno, who also produced the band’s 2008 multi-Grammy-winning hit Viva La Vida. In the same vein, Mylo Xyloto boasts yearning ballads (“Up Against the Wind”) and surging anthems (“Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”) alternating between occasionally sparse acoustic arrangements and shimmering electronic soundscapes, all colored by Eno’s trademark blend of ambient guitars and synthesizers. But Eno fails to push the band to experiment, and takes up space with a pair of short instrumental interludes that are simply filler. Still, there are highlights: Rihanna makes an appearance on the urgent “Princess of China,” a mid-tempo ballad; the slower “Up in Flames,” mostly piano and drums, offers a respite from an otherwise heavily produced sound; and the sweeping “Hurts Like Heaven” scales the album’s emotional peak. That big pop sound comes with a price, however: Mylo Xyloto sacrifices the intimacy of the band’s best songwriting (like “Yellow” or “X&Y” or “Swallowed in the Sea”). Ultimately, the album seems an extension of the commercial juggernaut Viva La Vida: it feels like Coldplay is playing it safe.