Combining commercial and critical acclaim, Coldplay is arguably the biggest band to emerge in the 21st century.  The UK alternative rock quartet first captivated audiences with their 2000 studio album debut “Parachutes,” but it was its 2002 follow-up, “A Rush of Blood to the Head” that skyrocketed the act into the musical stratosphere.

Now, after three years, the band is back and released a self-described concept record with an extremely odd name, “Mylo Xyloto.” Guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and frontman Chris Martin push the artistic and orchestral sound of 2008’s “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends” into an even more obscure, layered and textured terrain.

“Paradise,” the album’s lead single, is atypical Coldplay with Martin’s piano chords progressing a narrative presented in his signature-staggered vocals while occasionally breaking into his trademark falsetto. The track’s string section adds a layer of ambience to the song, making it one of the album’s most enjoyable listens.

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“Us Against the World” and “U.F.O” filter Martin’s vocals through a folk lens. Presenting nothing more than vulnerable lyrics, acoustic guitar, light strings and soft piano melodies, the songs are Martin’s homage to classic singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan.

The album features a surprise guest appearance by media phenom Rihanna, who teams up with Martin on “Princess of China,” a synth-heavy, electronic-influenced  and fairytale-pop track. The calculated and catchy song is moody and beat-heavy, which is a sharp contrast from the album’s brighter upbeat moments like classic “Hurts Like Heaven,” which was inspired by The Cure and layers lyrics of revolutionary paranoia atop a New Wave dance-rock beat.

“Major Minus” is the album’s best track with a mix of distorted guitar textures, pulsating rhythms and instantly infectious vocals. The track’s contrast of soft verses and a loud, sweeping chorus takes note from past alternative rock bands such as The Pixies, Weezer and, an act the group is commonly associated with, Radiohead.

By the album’s epic closer “Up with the Birds,” the band has taken listeners on a musical journey. In the dreamy soundscape we catch reflections of the versatility in Martin’s character. The social anxiety of Thom Yorke, quirkiness of Robert Smith and the larger-than-life and political persona of Bono all encompass into a man who manages to remain strikingly original. The same ideology bleeds through on the band’s new record, which manages to capture everything beloved about the group while simultaneously pushing its sound into a more mature territory.