RunForTheHills Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 In the Studio: Coldplay 3/20/08, 2:35 pm EST On a Saturday night in late February, Coldplay are in their North London headquarters, listening to mixes of new songs. After spending months writing and recording with producer Brian Eno, the band is now painstakingly wrapping up its fourth album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. A few weeks ago, Eno jetted off to work on U2’s new disc, leaving Coldplay to mix, record overdubs and argue over which tracks to include. “I heard a Bono quote once that said, ‘Bands shouldn’t break up over money, they should break up over the track listing,’” says frontman Chris Martin. “Nothing could be more pertinent at this point.” Earlier in the day, the group agreed on a core of six songs to anchor the album — and swore to finally stop recording and focus on mixing. While the other three members sit in a lounge listening to a mix of their new Afro-pop-influenced song “Strawberry Swing,” Martin bursts out of the studio and asks guitarist Jonny Buckland to recut some parts for “42.” The track — a thrilling three-part soundscape with multitracked pianos, swirling strings and looped beats — is one of the songs everyone in the band loves and is a front-runner for first single. With a quick eye roll, Buckland follows Martin into the studio, where they spend the next hour trying increasingly heavy guitar parts. Finally, with Martin pushing Buckland for one more take, the guitarist pushes back. “I think it’s fine the way it is,” he says, before agreeing to give it one more try. “It feels like we’ve been finishing the album for six months,” Buckland says later. “The starting stage was enjoyable — there wasn’t too much hair-pulling. In the middle stage, suddenly you start thinking, ‘Well, we’ve got to figure out which songs are good.’ And this final stage, which has been going on for quite some time, is getting more and more intense.” With Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay are making a sharp break from the piano-and-guitar-driven anthems that have been their biggest hits. “We felt like the first three albums were a trilogy, and we finished that,” says Buckland. “We wanted to do something different.” The band plans to reintroduce itself with “Violet Hill,” which will be given away in a promotion before Viva comes out. It opens with a jagged, distorted guitar riff and settles into a stalking, bluesy beat. Among the biggest changes on the disc is Martin’s voice, which has largely shifted from his trademark falsetto into a deeper register. On “Yes,” over an irresistible North African strings-and-percussion arrangement, he practically moans, “If you’d only, if you’d only say yes . . . I’m just so tired of this loneliness.” “My singing teacher said that it got her aroused when I sang low,” says Martin. Despite the 11 million albums Coldplay have sold, the singer sees Viva as a make-or-break proposition. “This could be our last shot at the big time,” he says. “It’s something in my head, as in artistic relevance. There’s a voice that comes at three in the morning with songs. There might come an age when you say, ‘Ah, fuck it, I’m going to go back to sleep.’ But I’m still at the point where I’ll get up and work it out. Tom Waits or Bob Dylan said sometimes these things bug you until you deal with them. I suppose it’s like the urge to masturbate.” Adds bassist Guy Berryman, “Great bands — Pink Floyd, the Beatles — they’re always exploring.” Back in the studio, close to 2 a.m., Buckland and Martin play the middle section of “42″ over and over, trying to create the perfect guitar line. As it turns out, the late-night overdubs were inspired by an offhand comment Martin heard about the song sounding like Radiohead. “There’s nothing wrong with sounding like Radiohead,” Martin says. “It’s just, when I hear it in my head, that’s not how it sounds. We have to make it right.” For more on Coldplay’s new album, click here. [Photo: Daniel Green] Evan Serpick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunForTheHills Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Coldplay in the studio: http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/03/20/in-the-studio-coldplay/ SWEET! :) I posted it here just now: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2275888#post2275888 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApproximatelyInfinite Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 AH. NEW ARTICLE. this deffi counts as like half-a-news thingy because we hear a bit more about the tracks. THIS IS THE BEST WEEK EVER. FOUR DAYS OF NEWS IN A ROW. when chris sings low, i want to rush over to enlgand and marry him on the spot. well, i want to do that in most cases, but if he's setting his singing teacher off...well then. i'm going to need a defibulator (sp?) to listen to this album. going to be really girly for a sec: might i mention how adorable the three of them look in this pic?! and look at the art on jonny's guitar! looks familiar eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunForTheHills Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 They look awesome. And I love Jonny's painted guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisa Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Jonny's painted guitar is gorgeous.:cool: Thanks for the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gus Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 “It’s just, when I hear it in my head, that’s not how it sounds. We have to make it right.” i think they changed the sound of 42. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lore Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 yayyy thanks for the info =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greta22 Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I posted it here just now: http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2275888#post2275888 oh whoops sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlight Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Oh my god..this is so overwhelming! But I'm lovin it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApproximatelyInfinite Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 and it sounds like we'll be getting "violet hill" sometime in the next month! well, i would think, anyway! AND "song for the escapist"! ohhhhh man. if i was older than i am now, i would have died of an excitement heart attack from this week. jonny sounds like he was getting a bit miffed, though :laugh1: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward_kingdom Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 So... Is it the final decision to name it "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends"? If it's like this I pretty agree!!! And I'm so fucking happy ;)!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gus Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 i hope that 42 doesnt sound like radiohead im just so tired to hear the haters say that colplay is a radiohead copy. go on chris make it sound like it sounds in your head no radiohead please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlight Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 i hope that 42 doesnt sound like radiohead im just so tired to hear the haters say that colplay is a radiohead copy. go on chris make it sound like it sounds in your head no radiohead please. You are a newbie but I love you already!! :laugh3: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunForTheHills Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 The haters can think whatever the hell they want. I'm just happy that theyre trying new things this time. I agree, its a tad annoying though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApproximatelyInfinite Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 all of these articles are making it harder and harder to wait 89 days. anyone think there's a possibility of getting "violet hill" with the prospekt entry at the end of the week? i don't want to get my hopes up, but it sounds possible! might i also mention that coldplay week is killing my academic career. i'm too afraid to leave the board! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward_kingdom Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 all of these articles are making it harder and harder to wait 89 days. anyone think there's a possibility of getting "violet hill" with the prospekt entry at the end of the week? i don't want to get my hopes up, but it sounds possible! might i also mention that coldplay week is killing my academic career. i'm too afraid to leave the board! I agree!!!! Every time I see a new article about the coming album I get so excited and I think "oh god, I've gotta wait a lot of time until the album is release" ;___;!!! and that's being so fucking hard... It'll be hard! But at the end I hope it'll be greeat!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivers of Avalon Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 i hope that 42 doesnt sound like radiohead im just so tired to hear the haters say that colplay is a radiohead copy. go on chris make it sound like it sounds in your head no radiohead please. coldplay is a band and radiohead is bawdy word....its difference between them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BostonSportsTD Posted March 20, 2008 Author Share Posted March 20, 2008 Has no one around here EVER HEARD OF A SUBTITLE BEFORE!? :bomb: You know, those old (and new) books where you have one title, and then a second smaller title that enhances, expands, or changes the meaning of the first title? Sometimes adds a humorous contradiction or, like in this case, a counter theme that makes both titles far more rich and complicated than either could ever be on their own. Mary Shelly's book "Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus" is a good example. I bet you didn't even know that it had a second title, did you? Or in a musical example, Sufjan Steven's song "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step Mother!" Most people just call that "Decatur" because the "or" part is a subtitle. Sorry for yelling, but this whining is really getting on my nerves. It is a brilliant title dripping with meaning, and it gave me chills when I first saw it. Death in life and life in death. A theme that runs far back into mythology. It makes me think of that Mexican holiday- the day of the dead- where everything is so colourful and happy looking, but they're celebrating death- throwing a party for the dead, but it's all so alive. I wonder if they meant it to refer to that, since there's already a Mexican theme to the title... i know this post is pretty old... but i couldn't agree more. also, for some reason ive always kind of imagined 42 sounding radiohead like so im too surprised. all these rolling stone articles are driving me INSANE!! if we got violet hill this week... i would probably have to consider this the best week of my life... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunForTheHills Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 i know this post is pretty old... but i couldn't agree more. also, for some reason ive always kind of imagined 42 sounding radiohead like so im too surprised. all these rolling stone articles are driving me INSANE!! if we got violet hill this week... i would probably have to consider this the best week of my life... Well so far I don't think I remember ever feeling such intense excitement in 4 successive days before. So I'm seriously considering it to be the best week of my life already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlight Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 It was just Monday the new layout was found.... WOW! Seriously, best week ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward_kingdom Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Has no one around here EVER HEARD OF A SUBTITLE BEFORE!? :bomb: You know, those old (and new) books where you have one title, and then a second smaller title that enhances, expands, or changes the meaning of the first title? Sometimes adds a humorous contradiction or, like in this case, a counter theme that makes both titles far more rich and complicated than either could ever be on their own. Mary Shelly's book "Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus" is a good example. I bet you didn't even know that it had a second title, did you? Or in a musical example, Sufjan Steven's song "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step Mother!" Most people just call that "Decatur" because the "or" part is a subtitle. Sorry for yelling, but this whining is really getting on my nerves. It is a brilliant title dripping with meaning, and it gave me chills when I first saw it. Death in life and life in death. A theme that runs far back into mythology. It makes me think of that Mexican holiday- the day of the dead- where everything is so colourful and happy looking, but they're celebrating death- throwing a party for the dead, but it's all so alive. I wonder if they meant it to refer to that, since there's already a Mexican theme to the title... I haven'te seen this post before!... I just can't believe someone from other country took the time to take a look and get information about a Mexican celebration... That's really good from you and it's a really smart point of view. It's true that in the dead celebration everything is colorful and it's like a "party" celebrating our loved people who have passed away... ;O;!!! Oh, I get surprised with all of this. I just can't wait until the day the album is released!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gus Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 coldplay is a band and radiohead is bawdy word....its difference between them i think coldplay should make their own way and leave the similiarities with radiohead . i respect radiohead but i dont like it more than i like coldplay. all my life i been listen ozzy, marilyn manson,sepultura, slayer and yes i've listen radiohead,nirvana. but something change in my life when i found coldplay it was strange but now is in my top of my music taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlight Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 i think coldplay should make their own way and leave the similiarities with radiohead . i respect radiohead but i dont like it more than i like coldplay. all my life i been listen ozzy, marilyn manson,sepultura, slayer and yes i've listen radiohead,nirvana. but something change in my life when i found coldplay it was strange but now is in my top of my music taste. Awww that was very heart warming! :nice: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tino Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I like that idea VIVA LA VIDA or Death and All His Friends Now it sounds nice.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevaehdreamz Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Haha im a big fan of Chris' analogies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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