Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends » Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

24th June 2008

Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

This post was written by Benji

Chris Martin and all his friends have found the secret to eternal glory. Somewhere in this world, there is a fountain from which musicians drink that grants them supernatural songwriting abilities. These artists walk the line between unfathomable fame and modesty, serving simultaneously as everymen and (inter)national heroes. And so, the anticipation and excitement that stems from the prospect of a new Coldplay album always tingles my senses–each one is a new era for the band and its listeners. I also grew up with the awkward Brits as they proved their mettle with Parachutes and established themselves as a rock superpower with Rush of Blood To The Head. I was right beside them when X & Y put Coldplay into the everyday rock icon lexicon.

And now their shortest album yet is their most ambitious. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is as moody as Coldplay as have ever been (much of this album review involves superlatives!). The pounding keyboards of “Violet Hill” are as chilling as the excitement of the electric guitar and Martin’s falsetto. Indeed, the album is quite dramatic–it’s bombastic and bold, outspoken and concise, much like a mission statement for the band. The lovingly done “Viva La Vida” possesses the same kind of magic that “Clocks” did, with its high-charged chorus and the achingly sweet strings that would make ELO drool. “Strawberry Swing” is an unearthly delight, conjuring scents and sounds from a world far away. The imagery is most vivid in this lounge-rock ditty as ‘It’s such a perfect day’ rings loud and clear. The percussion-heavy “Lost!” is complemented perfectly with the harmonious organs as Coldplay proves again its prowess with the rock ballad. The twangy, southern comfort of “Yes” starts out as an ominous rock dirge but soon turns into a wonderfully moody rock tune with country and Middle Eastern rhythms (!).

The combination of styles and flavors are appetizing and equally satiating, showing the once timid Brits becoming the stuff of legend. Indeed, life has been good to Coldplay—Viva La Vida!

Buy your copy of Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends.

Listen to “Strawberry Swing”

Listen to “Death and All His Friends“

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 9:02 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 5 responses to “Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends”

Why not let us know what you think by adding your own comment! Your opinion is as valid as anyone elses, so come on... let us know what you think.

1 On June 24th, 2008, jen said:
while i am not a huge coldplay fan, i definitely enjoyed their first two albums and am….. lukewarmish about the latest. my problem is in the lyrics department, where i think their “supernatural songwriting” fails. lines such as “those who are dead are not dead, they’re just living in my head” (seriously???) and “just because i’m losing, doesn’t mean i’m lost” stand out in particular.

also, martin’s obsession with rhyming is still out of control - it can be downright distracting. he has been known to rhyme a word with *itself*, and past songs such as ’swallowed in the sea’ epitomize his seuss-ian tendencies. maybe some people are cool with that… but for me it’s the factor that tips me to coldplay *like* instead of *love*.

posted on June 24th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
2 On June 25th, 2008, Charlie said:
I agree, their new album is superb!

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
3 On June 26th, 2008, Benji said:
Few things Jen-
This is their fourth album, not their third. It is important that you listen to all four so you can get a better sense of what Coldplay is all about. Lyrically, Martin teeters bewteen obscurity and overtness, but neither one dominates in his writing. ‘viva la vida’ may be his best song (lyrically) yet, and ‘Lost!’ (the one you cite above) shows a vulnerable Martin, an everyman, who can be just as disoriented as us. He’s admitting his fallibility. If that’s not artistically courageous, I don’t know what is.

Benji

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 9:03 am
4 On June 26th, 2008, Siara said:
Thank you benji!

I totally agree. I am an avid fan of Coldplay and pratically Chris Martin and his lyrics on their fourth album are very deep and just outstanding! Their last 3 albums had phenominal songs/lyrics as well but I think this album has/will take them to new heights. I cant wait to see what they will do next!

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
5 On June 27th, 2008, jen said:
haha, i realize i mis-worded my comment, but of course i know that coldplay has four albums (all of which i have listened too, but only parachutes and rush of blood really charmed me). i admire your zeal for the band and hope that they continue to fulfill your expectations. cheers.

posted on June 27th, 2008 at 12:13 am

Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream
Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream will serve as a blog for me to share my thoughts and musings, with a special emphasis on music. The music that will appear in this blog is for evaluation/sampling purposes only, and is designed to promote up and coming bands. Remember, if you like the artist(s), buy the CD! If you are the owner of a sound file and would like it removed, please contact us and we will kindly take it down.