Coldplay is (or was) one of the biggest bands in the world. From the moment "Yellow" came out in 2000 up until 2006's Kraftwerk-based hit "Talk," the London quartet was giving U2 a run for its money in the worldwide musical domination game. Its music is perfect for making a blind date feel unthreatened, giving your mom a ride to the airport, and for background music when the protagonist on your favorite reality show has to figure out what to do about his heart and feelings.
They just unveiled their next album's title. It's Mylo Xyloto, and we've spent hours thinking about what it may mean. In our research we learned that Mylo is a Scottish electronic musician, a mobile device by Sony for Skype-ing and a city in North Dakota. In our quest for the meaning of Xyloto, the only thing we found was Xylitol, a low calorie sugar substitute.
We also looked for a hidden phonetic meaning. But, unlike Britney Spears' "If You Seek Amy" or Turbonegro's "If You See Kay," Mylo Xyloto doesn't sound like any cheeky phrase. Miles o' lotto? My lows eel otto? We got nothing.
Chris Martin told Billboard in a recent interview, "I always feel like each record is our last." They are smart enough to know that many people always wish that each record will be their last. But, they are smarter enough to know that somebody's Mom will always buy their next record.
Washed Out
They asked the graphic designer to emulate the text layout of Washed Out's "Within And Without." Then they asked Washed Out if they could just the same exact album cover. Washed Out said, "We'll think about it." Coldplay kept calling and texting them to find out if they finally decided on letting them use it. Washed Out said, "Stop bothering us, please, and... no."
Milo Goes Sugarfree
Maybe Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland got really into West Coast American punk rock during the making of this album? And maybe he also got really into eating low glycemic foods? This was the final concept for the album, until Eno stepped in. He told them, "Boys, you're on to something; but this kind of makes sense. I want all of you to go home, listen to Here Come The Warm Jets on repeat while looking at this album cover and eating nothing but Splenda." When Buckland woke up from his sugar-free night terrors, he saw that the words Mylo Xyloto were scribbled all over his walls.
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