Will the real Coldplay stand up?

Coldplay Music Of The Spheres Outnow ★★ Adele EasyOnMe Out ★★★★ now

When you think about it, Coldplay are quite an odd band. They started out sounding like Travis, then they wanted to be

Pink Floyd, and these days they’re halfway from Supertramp to

Take That. Their lead singer,

Chris Martin (right), has become a boyish elder statesman, bouncing around in Day-Glo trainers. His public appearances should really come with a Tigger warning.

Lately his energy has gone into strategic alliances. In London the other night he brought Ed Sheeran on stage to play two of his own hits.

Three of Coldplay’s past five singles have been collaborations, as against only two of the first 31. Their latest hit, My Universe, features the boy band BTS: not content with going pop, Coldplay have gone K-pop.

These joint ventures are depressing but effective. My Universe gave Coldplay their first top-three single since 2017. Now they’ve taken a step back towards classic rock and released a concept album about an imaginary galaxy. In space, no one can hear you make a screeching U-turn.

Every Coldplay album tops the UK chart, but the last, Everyday Life, was their worst-seller. With 270,000 copies, it sold a million fewer than its predecessor, A

Head Full Of Dreams. It deserved better: carefree and audacious, it was their White Album.

Perhaps rattled by this relative flop, they have roped in a new producer, unstoppable hit machine Max Martin (no relation to Chris). Brian Eno he is not. Most songwriters aim for the universal, but the trick is not to make it too obvious. My Universe is joined here by songs called Higher Power, Humankind and Human Heart.

Four of the 12 tracks are featureless instrumentals. Bereft of Chris Martin’s jittery vocals, they’re just space-fillers. Another is their first stab at glam rock. Tonight, Matthew, they want to be Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

The rest of the album is at least recognisable, with one anthem, two slices of chart pop and three ballads, including an elegant acappella number. So far it’s all been brisk – 11 tracks whizzing by in half an hour. But then comes the finale, Coloratura, which goes on for ten minutes, like the love child of Hey Jude and Comfortably Numb, and sparkles only fitfully. They’re an odd band, and they’ve made a space oddity.

Back on planet Earth, there’s a new single from Adele (left), pop’s most grounded superstar. It’s the first taste of her fourth album, called 30, due on November 19.

Since we last heard from her, six long years ago, she’s been through a divorce and a drastic makeover, but her sound remains the same. Easy On Me is very Adele: just voice and piano, heart and soul.