Coldplay: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends (2008)

I apologize for the tardiness of this review. After coming off a two week high of Tha Carter III and Sic Semper Equis Coldplay’s fourth album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends was bound to disappoint.

There has been a large fuss before Viva La Vida’s release about how experimental it was going to be and even though Chris Martin and the boys do change things up a bit it is hardly as experimental as they contend let alone revolutionary.

There are three (or four) tracks on here that eschew the traditional (and Coldplay standard) verse -chorus-verse structuring but overall these songs, like “Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love,” and “Yes/Chinese Sleep Chant,” end up feeling like multiple song bits crammed together arbitrarily. The only one that manages to work in my opinion is “42” that goes from Coldplay’s own “Trouble” morphing into a raucous Ok Computer-esque violin and guitar jam before jumping into a sweet pounding little pop number complete with handclaps and “oh ohh oh ohhhs.” Things come full circle before fading back into the Parachutes-reminiscent intro.

Chris Martin and crew come off best when working with “complete” songs such as “Viva La Vida” and “Violet Hill” even if the lyrics strive hard for universality and promote outmoded ideas of revolution. Did Chris Martin just learn about all this stuff now? The Iraq War has been going on since 2003! Where has he been? Oh that’s right he’s been fucking Gwyneth Paltrow; If it were me I’d ignore the outside world too. In all seriousness though, the "viral video" of “Violet Hill,” featuring found footage of our leaders and wars, is one of the best music videos I’ve seen in a long time and actually manages to say something new instead of just tossing around old activist slogans and imagery.

First single “Violet Hill” also is a good example of how Coldplay built up to the rooftop raving choruses and glorious anthems on previous albums like A Rush Of Blood To The Head. The closing track “Death And All His Friends” has the classic closing mantras but has no build up (the song is like thirty seconds I swear) so those moments of glory arrive undeserved. That’s not to say there aren’t some glorious highs on Viva La Vida.

“Lost!” is my favorite track on the album closely followed by “Strawberry Swing” for two different reasons. When I first heard Viva La Vida the only song that immediately grabbed me more than any other was “Lost!” because its confidence and awesome handclaps and Indian tabla stomp driven by an atmospheric organ and Jojnny Buckland’s guitar. “Strawberry Swing” is also a winner because unlike the rest of the album it seems a lot more intimate and relaxed, containing the endearing charm of Chris Martin that we’ve come to love without being overbearing. Some Afro drums and reverb-laden handclaps drive the beat, taut violins, subtle and discreet, and a sweet noodling reversed guitar circles around Chris Martin as he declares, “It’s such a perfect day…”

Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends is as hardly revolutionary as Coldplay would like to think, but once you get over the initial disappointment that rich multi-millionaire rock stars can’t change the world, you’re left with a decent album that shows that maybe rich multi-millionaire rock stars are at least thinking about it.

"Viral Video" for "Violet Hill"


Mp3:
Coldplay-"Lost!"

Link:
Coldplay.com

YouTube Video of the Week: "Pork And Beans" and "Violet Hill" Videos

Speaking of Postmodernism...

I would say I am a big fan of music videos, but lately I haven't seen any that have really impressed me terribly especially from the mainstream artists, but this week I have seen two pretty awesome videos that have restored my faith in the music video format.



First up is Weezer's "Pork And Beans." It's a song that I was sort of meh about yet slowly it became catchier and catchier. With this new video doing the pastiche thing by incorporating a bunch the YouTube "classic" characters interacting with Rivers and the gang I couldn't help but smile. It's funny because YouTube has created a whole new level of celebrity and this video for "Pork And Beans" is by no means the first video to capture this phenomenon, but it does it with enough charm and sincerity.



Secondly, and more hilariously and more seriously, is the alternate video for Coldplay's new single "Violet Hill." Why this is the "alternate" video is beyond me. Recycling a bunch of clips of old leaders, current leaders and maybe soon to be leaders and other footage of war and politics the video recontextualizes these images for darkly humorous purposes. It's an incredibly moving video really and was left stunned the first time I saw it.

Both videos make those songs even better then when I first heard them and it gives me hope for the music video, and they have re-inspired me to take a shot at doing my own once more.

Links:
Weezer.com
Coldplay.com

Coldplay Releases New Single "Violet Hill"

So we finally get to hear a song off Vida La Vida or Death And All His Friends due for release on June 17th."Violet Hill" is the first single and is available to download for free for one week at their main website (or here).

So does it live up to all the experimentation/latin-influenced talk that's been milling about from the band?

Well it's the first single, and first singles usually (most often/always) sound the most like the band's previous album and this song is no exception. With that said, I am starting to really dig it. It has a really nice groove to it, dirtier guitars and a nice sleazy bassline. Still, it is very piano heavy (not a bad thing, the end works for me) and Chris Martin's voice is the same as before (there has been mentioning of other songs on the album in a lower register).

But I say check it out and make up your own mind and check out the pretty sweet album cover here.

Tracklist for Vida La Vida or Death And All His Friends
1. "Life in Technicolor"
2. "Cemeteries of London"
3. "Lost!"
4. "42"
5. "Lovers in Japan"/"Reign of Love"
6. "Yes"/"Chinese Sleep Chant"
7. "Viva la Vida"
8. Violet Hill"
9. "Strawberry Swing"
10. "Death and All His Friends"

Mp3:
Coldplay-"Violet Hill"

Link:
Coldplay.com

Coldplay’s fourth album has a title!

Chris Martin broke the news to Rollingstone. Here’s the press release:

“Coldplay’s fourth album, due out on June 17th, will be called Viva la Vida. Singer Chris Martin chose it after seeing the phrase, which means “long live life,” on a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who endured polio, a broken spine, and chronic pain for decades. “She went through a lot of shit, of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said ‘Viva la Vida,’” says Martin. “I just loved the boldness of it.”

Of course, Frida Kahlo will not be the first name that jumps to most peoples’ minds when they hear the phrase. “Everyone thinks it comes from Ricky Martin, which is fine. I have absolute respect,” says the singer, who gave Coldplay its original name, Pectoralz, and named his children Apple and Moses. “I’ve been through this before, naming something or someone and everyone saying that ‘That’s a terrible name’. But then saying, ‘Well, fuck you, that’s what it’s called, and I’ll be proved to be right eventually’. So when Viva la Vida came along, I was kind of annoyed because I’m going to have to try and convince everybody of this, but it just felt right.” Check back later this week for the full report from Coldplay’s studio sessions for Viva la Vida.”

I like the sound of it, something different. I was a big Coldplay fan back in the day and this new album seems like it’ll challenge a lot of people’s notions of what kind of band Coldplay is and what kind of music they make.

Mp3:
Coldplay-"See You Soon"

Original article at Rollingstone
Details on some songs that'll be on Viva la Vida
Coldplay site