Coldplay: Viva La Vida

I have heard it all too many times... Do you know how I know youre gay? Becasue you like Coldplay. It was one of those lines from the 40 Year Old Virgin that was so overused when I mentioned I liked the band. So funny... Yeah not really. When you consider the previous three albums by Coldplay... Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to The Head, and X&Y. Their fourth cd is titled... Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.

The first track on this album entitled Life in Technicolor catches your attention right away with its spanish inspired guitar track and virtually no vocals. The song starts to pick up with a haunting drum beat, almost like a tribal beat. The cd only picks up and gains momentum from here. Cemeteries Of London has a classic Coldplay feel. One of my favorite tracks however is Lover In Japan/Reign Of Love. The song starts to soar from the start where Chris Martins vocals nail every emotion that the song tries to portray. The best part of the song is where you think its over and you think a new song starts but you realize its the same song and the second half of the song devles into the softer side of the idea. I would have to say the standout track off of the album is the title track Viva La Vida. This song uses amazing violin riffs and a catchy tune. You may recognize this song off of the itunes commercials. Its absolutely incredible and shows what a band can do by thinking outside their usual formula. After this is the first single entitled Violet Hill. Its a solid song about relating love to a cold winter.. or so I think. Sometimes it takes me a bit to find the meaning behind the song. And the cd finishes strong with the second half of the title track Death and All His Friends. My only complaint about the album is that it was 10 tracks long. Although you do get every bit of what you pay for.

I cant say enough about this cd. Its different from what Coldplay has done in the past. Its more raw and electric. Dont go into this cd thinking that Coldplay has completely changed... because they havent. They seemed to have drawn some influences from Indie rockers like Arcade Fire and The Stars. The album has a darker tune then the previous three and definetly worth a listen if you have ears. And no this album wont make you gay nor will their previos three cds.

Bottom Line: Solid CD and high contender for album of the year!

Grade: A