Get out your disco ball.
Coldplay has dabbled with dance music before, but on the band’s new set, “A Head Full of Dreams,” singer Chris Martin and company have gone full tilt.
While still recognizable for its sweeping, ambitious anthems, this is Coldplay with 50 percent more twirl. Credit (or blame) Norwegian production duo Stargate, best known for its work with Beyonc?, Rihanna and Katy Perry, who co-produced the set and put the pep in Coldplay’s step.
And speaking of Beyonc?, she opens the lilting “Hymn for the Weekend,” which also features programming by Avicii. Swedish sensation Tove Lo drops by on “Fun,” a song about Martin’s conscious uncoupling from Gwyneth Paltrow that puts a positive glow on their split. To further prove there are no hard feelings, Paltrow sings on “Everglow,” a bittersweet ballad about the ties that bind, even after the marital cord has been cut.
All of the wistful bonhomie becomes a bit precious on “Birds,” which cuts off midsong, and on “Kaleidoscope,” which features a spoken-word recitation by poet Coleman Barks that encourages welcoming the awareness life’s changes bring.
