Coldplay Would Like to Save the World With Vagueness

When people call out cultural appropriation, what’s often lost in the ensuing discussion is the notion that appropriation, in itself, isn’t the issue. It’s people use something that isn’t their own, not the mere fact that they did it, that can cause problems. Coldplay’s new double album, , offers a sumptuous-sounding test for questions of borrowing, voice, and advocacy. Arabic script features in the album art; Arabic lyrics appear on the first song with vocals; “Arabesque” is the name of the first single. Snatches of Persian, Spanish, Yoruba, French, and Zulu dot the songs and the written track list. “Trouble in Town” sees the band’s five Englishmen sampling audio in Philadelphia in 2013. “Everyone hurts, everyone cries,” Chris Martin sings on the title song, stating the big social message that led the band to avail itself of so many peoples’ stories and sounds.