Coldplay’s latest album, Mylo Xyloto, can be summed up in its own title: though misleadingly cryptic but in fact meaningless, nonetheless catchy and weirdly fun.

With neither the arresting instrumentals and dynamic lyrics of Viva la Vida or even the well-written if not groundbreaking pensiveness of X & Y, Coldplay’s recent release veers away from intelligent angst into simpler, more easily digestible if not entirely satisfying one-liners.

An example is the poppy “Hurts Like Heaven,” the chorus of which (“You use your heart as a weapon / and it hurts like heaven”) sounds unhappily familiar as an echoed anthem by countless lovelorn indie boy bands.

In spite of a few other recognizably trite tracks such as “Charlie Brown” (Light a fire, a flame in my heart / We’ll run wild / We’ll be glow-in-the-dark), Coldplay makes up for less than stellar lyrics with the occasional truly appealing beat, supplied by the likes of “Princess of China” (with a fun grungy rhythm courtesy of featured artist Rihanna) and the tinkling, foot-tapping tune of “A Hopeful Transmission.”

The album’s finest moments come through in the intermittent bursts of authenticity, most notable in slower and more haunting songs “Up with the Birds” and “U.F.O.”

Mylo Xyloto is nothing new, but serves if nothing else as a not insubstantial addition to Coldplay’s repertoire as a versatile and earnestly alternative rock band. 3 stars: worth listening to, but far from the best of Coldplay.