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Album Review: Coldplay, "Viva La Vida" (Capitol)
Coldplay 's highly-anticipated fourth studio album, "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends," exhibits growth and new confidence without straying too far from the band's trademark sounds: rousing anthems, emotional ballads and contemplative vocals.
Enlisting acclaimed producers including Brian Eno (U2, Talking Heads) and Markus Dravs (Björk, Arcade Fire) for creative guidance, Coldplay veer from their mass-appeal musical formula and toy with more compact, experimental songs. That's not to say that "Viva La Vida" can be called experimental in the kookiest Eno-sense; it's risky in terms of previous Coldplay efforts. Their U2-like arena-highs take less time to build in a get-to-the-point-already way, lyrics aren't as predictable and cliché and, sometimes, there aren't any real words at all--as with "Life in Technicolor," an uplifting, diet-Arcade Fire instrumental track.
Coldplay's forte is their ability to sound both intensely massive and nerves-exposed delicate--often in the same song. This album builds on that concept, but the highs and lows are more extreme and effective. The best parts of "Viva La Vida" are quite possibly within these dichotomous moments. "42," in particular, is a piano-and-strings fueled discussion about death and time, which begins soft and sweet before firing off into a thrilling pop-rock climax. Some of lead man Chris Martin's most beautiful lyrics are contained in "42": "Those who are dead are not dead/They're just living in my head."
The most soul-soaring tracks are the current singles--"Viva La Vida," with its revolution-minded words and towering orchestral layers, and "Violet Hill," a powerful, more electric-guitar-rock driven song that closes with a vulnerable piano and Martin crooning: "If you love me won't you let me know." "Lovers in Japan" is a quintessential Coldplay love song full of flowing, piano-led melodies and Martin's warm, reassuring vocals.
Politics are nothing new to Coldplay's agenda. "Viva La Vida" provides another platform for the group's opinions, but the band also addresses thoughts about life, death and, of course, love. Unfortunately for Coldplay, it's the political messages that get lost in a dance of metaphors and wordplay. For fans, this won't be a total loss. Diehards will decipher the meanings and casual listeners can still be inspired by the sounds alone.
"Viva La Vida" presents a fresh, strong dimension to the familiar Coldplay sound. It's a record that's likely to radically impress longtime fans, while attracting new listeners who used to think Coldplay was just music for wussies. Martin and his army of church-bell and choral explosions, Latin-fused musical force and elevating piano rock will certainly prove them wrong.
