When Coldplay sampled Kraftwerk on their third album, X&Y, it was a signifier for the British band, telegraphing their classicist good taste while signaling how they prefer the eternally hip to the truly adventurous; it was stylish window dressing for soft arena rock. Hiring Brian Eno to produce the bulk of their fourth album, Viva la Vida, is another matter entirely. Eno pushes them, not necessarily to experiment but rather to focus and refine, to not leave their comfort zone but to find some tremulous discomfort within it. In his hands, this most staid of bands looks to shake things up, albeit politely, but such good manners are so inherent to Coldplay's DNA that they remain courteous even when they experiment. With his big-budget production, Eno has a knack for amplifying an artist's personality, as he allows bands to be just as risky as they want to be -- which is quite a lot in the case of U2 and James and even Paul Simon, but not quite so much with Coldplay. And yet this gentle encouragement -- he's almost a kindly uncle giving his nephews permission to rummage through his study -- pays great dividends for Coldplay, as it winds up changing the specifics without altering the core. They wind up with the same self-styled grandiosity; they've just found a more interesting way to get to the same point.
Gone are Chris Martin's piano recitals and gone are the washes of meticulously majestic guitar, replaced by orchestrations of sound, sometimes literally consisting of strings but usually a tapestry of synthesizers, percussion, organs, electronics, and guitars that avoid playing riffs. Gone too are simpering schoolboy ballads like "Fix You," and along with them the soaring melodies designed to fill arenas. In fact, there are no insistent hooks to be found anywhere on Viva la Vida, and there are no clear singles in this collection of insinuatingly ingratiating songs. This reliance on elliptical melodies isn't off-putting -- alienation is alien to Coldplay -- and this is where Eno's guidance pays off, as he helps sculpt Viva la Vida to work as a musical whole, where there are long stretches of instrumentals and where only "Strawberry Swing," with its light, gently infectious melody and insistent rhythmic pulse, breaks from the album's appealingly meditative murk. Whatever iciness there is to the sound of Viva la Vida is warmed by Martin's voice, but the music is by design an heir to the earnest British art rock of '80s Peter Gabriel and U2 -- arty enough to convey sober intelligence without seeming snobby, the kind of album that deserves to take its title from Frida Kahlo and album art from Eugene Delacroix. That Delacroix painting depicts the French Revolution, so it does fit that Martin tones down his relentless self-obsession -- the songs aren't heavy on lyrics and some are shockingly written in character -- which is a development as welcome as the expanded sonic palette. Martin's refined writing topics may be outpaced by the band's guided adventure, but they're both indicative that Coldplay are desperate to not just strive for the title of great band -- a title they seem to believe that they're to the manor born -- but to actually burrow into the explorative work of creating music. And so the greatest thing Coldplay may have learned from Eno is his work ethic, as they demonstrate a focused concentration throughout this tight album -- it's only 47 minutes yet covers more ground than X&Y and arguably A Rush of Blood to the Head -- that turns Viva la Vida into something quietly satisfying.
Who the hell would have thought that Coldplay had it in them? Sure, the very tired sounding X & Y did have it's moments of grandeur- such as the towering, anthemic chorus of personal favorite "White Shadows" and the catchy, though hardly eye opening, "Talk." Yet it didn't prevent many of us from wondering if we would see the band release 5 more X & Y clones in the next 10 years. Would the band ...
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I wrote this blog a while back on a drive from Seattle to Portland, but didn't have a chance to finish it until now. With that said, welcome to my review of Coldplay's latest drop, Viva La Vida.To be honest, when I purchased the album, I wasn't even sure if it would be money well spent. Well, completely contrary to my beliefs, this is one of the best albums that I've recently spent money on. ...
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--- - |- What happens when you lose a trademark and gain a world music influence? You release your fourth album called Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, if you're Coldplay. The trademark is Chris Martin's falsetto which, while not non-existent, is toned down significantly with a far deeper range displayed by the front man. Tracks like Cemeteries of London and Yes are a true depa...
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Well it's the end of another gorgeous month here in the heartland of the States. Gasp, I am an American blogger. I live in the armpit of America where nothing unusually awesome ever happens. Which is probably why I have so much free time to listen to music and play like my opinions matter {which we all know they really do}. Once again, though, the time has come for me to post my favorite re...
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Well it's the end of another gorgeous month here in the heartland of the States. Gasp, I am an American blogger. I live in the armpit of America where nothing unusually awesome ever happens. Which is probably why I have so much free time to listen to music and play like my opinions matter {which we all know they really do}. Once again, though, the time has come for me to post my favorite re...
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Do Coldplay have the balls to release their new album Viva La Vida pro bono, like their fellow Brits Radiohead? No. But Chris Martin and Co. are doing their best to keep fans happy while bringing the bread home by treating the world's internet users with a free MP3 of the album's first single "Violet Hill." It ain't no free record, but at least Coldplay are attempting to keep up with the evolut...
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Giving away free music is addicting for Coldplay. Last week Coldplay successfully released their first single "Violet Hill" as a free MP3 via their Web site and some 2 million people downloaded the track. (Even Coldplay is surprised at the number, I'm sure).Now the band are giving away their next single "A Spell A Rebel Yell," which sorta rips off U2 "Mothers of the Disappeared."The band is pul...
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If there was one song from Coldplay's latest album Viva La Vida I'd try to win anyone over with it'd be "Lost!," which sounds like it was recorded inside a cathedral. The track, already getting heavy radio play, will be the band's third single from the album and available as a four-track, digital-only EP on November 10th everywhere. "That song had been around for a long time without ever gettin...
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Coldplay have pulled a fast one, calling their new album Viva La Vida, or Death and All His Friends. Many had believed that the follow-up to 2005's X&Y would be called Prospect, taken from the signature of the band's news updates via their Web site.Viva La Vida, aptly titled considering most of the album was recorded in Spain, will come out on June 17th via Capitol records. This also denounces ...
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Speaking with the UK's The Sun, Coldplay's frontman Chris Martin dished that the band had hopes to giveaway a free live album during their upcoming summer tour. The tour hits the US in July, Europe in August, and the UK in September.Martin wants to give back during the hard economic times. Seems he feels bad people are blowin' away their paychecks on Coldplay concert tickets, which go anywhere ...
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Last night, on my lunch break at the bookstore, I put on my headphones and listened to Viva La Vida on shuffle. During my sonic excursions I began to notice a theme that I touched upon on my initial review of Viva La Vida. I noticed that there were images of death, sleep and acts while dreaming sprinkled throughout the songs.This is when my English major mindset went to work dissecting the lyri...
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In a reaction to Joe Satriani’s copyright infringement lawsuit, Coldplay drummer Will Champion recently pointed out that only “the successful songs seem to be the ones that are accused of being stolen.” Frontman Chris Martin has now spoken out with...
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Here's a link to the Coldplay Website to view the official Music Video of Viva La Vida. I'm so happy! yay finally! What do you all think of it? It's not bad. My favorite element of the video would be the rose petals. I also uploaded Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love, a sweet song. Enjoyhttp://www.coldplay.com/vivavideo1.php
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Now that Bush is out of office, I'm going out on a limb (only slightly) and while trying to remain objective, I can't say that I miss him (or Darth Sidious, I mean Dick Cheney). In the closing years of his administration, lots of music (or at least lyrics) seemed to be inspired by him and his cronies. My first example comes from Coldplay's Viva La Vida album and the song of the same title:I u...
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Weekend off after a manic week being back to workWent on bit of a session last night so not feeling that great todayAt least the sun is shining for once - but for how long ?Thought you might all like the latest free download from Coldplay for the weekendViva La Vida now No.1 Album in 23 counties !enjoy everyone x
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Who the hell would have thought that Coldplay had it in them? Sure, the very tired sounding X & Y did have it's moments of grandeur- such as the towering, anthemic chorus of personal favorite "White Shadows" and the catchy, though hardly eye opening, "Talk." Yet it didn't prevent many of us from wondering if we would see the band release 5 more X & Y clones in the next 10 years. Would the band ...
More >
From first spin of Viva La Vida..., "Lost" has been my personal favorite, mixing just the right portions of Peter Gabriel and U2 to move the arenas they so badly want to move. Although when I saw the band at MSG, my brother turned to me and said "Hey, that's a pretty sweet organ line ... that nobody in the band is playing." It was a pretty sweet ZING, and I'm having flashbacks to it watching th...
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This is actually a pretty nostalgic video from Coldplay, because in it they finally reintroduce those dirty Les Miserables rock opera outfits from the "Violet Hill" era. Just kidding that's the only outfit they own. Attire aside "Lovers In Japan" is one of Viva La Vida's finest songs, you may remember 20 seconds of it as the FOURTH tune they played during their Hamm-y turn on SNL. The official ...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Life in Technicolor |
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| 2 Cemeteries of London |
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| 3 Lost! |
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| 4 42 |
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| 5 Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love |
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| 6 Yes |
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| 7 Viva la Vida |
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| 8 Violet Hill |
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| 9 Strawberry Swing |
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| 10 Death and All His Friends |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Viva la Vida")
