I Checked to see if this was posted and couldnt find it anywhere. Great review for those of us that prefer reviewers that GUSH!!!!

 

 

Viva La Vida leaks! PMA has an initial review!

 

Yesterday, Viva La Vida or Death and And All His Friends leaked. And PMA is happy to report that the once-ridiculed band (stemming from a classic 40 year-Old Virgin joke) is now cool to like again. So stop hiding, Coldplay fans. Rejoice. Because Viva La Vida may just be 2008’s best album so far.

 

“When it started we had high hopes,” Chris Martin sings on “Yes,” one of the ten new songs Coldplay has laid out for us with their new album, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends. This lyric holds true for virtually all music fans, who had extremely high hopes for Coldplay’s new album following the release of their first single, “Violet Hill,” a near-complete change in the band’s typical style. “Hill” brought out an edgy, rock-inspired side of Coldplay that shook the blogosphere. When “Viva La Vida” dropped, all perceptions of what the new album would sound like were again shifted, as the chart-topping track created an epic, orchestral vibe for the reinvented band. People wondered what exactly it was that Coldplay was going for, and speculation dominated the music world.

 

After hearing the initial singles, it may not surprise you that Coldplay is now a different band. However, they have not departed too far from their roots- Martin’s recognizable voice remains, and the ambient background noises from the underrated X+Y are still intact. But the typical light piano-falsetto combo has been all but eliminated. The new Coldplay has a harder edge, one inspired by many other bands- but done so without ripping these bands off.

 

“Life In Technicolor” kicks off Viva by doing exactly what a song titled “Life In Technicolor” should do- paint a picture. A beautiful, instrumental composition of noises, with a building beat leading to a triumphant “whoa-oh-oh” moment, shows off Coldplay’s new stadium sound. It is a telling and perfect interlude, one that lets you know exactly what kind of album you are in for.

 

“Cemeteries of London” then begins, Martin’s voice deep and creepy. He sings over a barely any instrumentals (just a light, twinkling piano), moaning his lyrics about walking through London at night. “Through the dark streets they’d go searching to seek out a new way, singing la, la la, la la….and the night over London hangs.” Suddenly, a rocking, driving drum beat pushes the song forward, and Martin continues to stretch his voice darkly over the now-heavy synths, guitars, and drums. A cool, Radiohead-esque drumbeat (only the first of many obvious Radiohead-influenced moments) stands out, then gets its own 3 seconds to shine on its own. Martin’s voice finally reigns over the song, giving it a big, stadium feel. The “la-la-la-las” thrown in the middle are dark and excellent, giving off the feel of a demented Irish Pub song. In the best way possible.

 

When “Lost!” first hit the net, it was released as an acoustic song. You may recall PMA’s speculation that an Eno touch (Brian Eno produced Viva, known for his orchestral/electronic/synthesizer beats) would make the song fantastic. This was very much the case, as “Lost!” comes in with a ridiculously cool pounding tribal drum rythym. The song sounds huge, notably when Martin chants “I just got lost, every river that I tried to cross.” He wisely doesn’t overpower his voice here, doing what he needs to do to accompany the awesome beat. The song also has a touch of organs, maybe an Arcade Fire-inspired addition. “Lost!”- with its epic orchestration, nice lyrics and head-bopping beat- is certainly one of the album’s best.

 

Martin describes the song title of “42” with this telling quote: “I don’t think you can try to be the best band in the world without having a song that’s a number.” So what was assumed is now proven: Coldplay’s goals are just as lofty as Kanye West’s and The Killers’. The track starts with more traditional Coldplay fare, reminiscent of “The Scientist.” Martin croons powerfully over a soft piano, “Those who are dead, are not dead, they’re just living in my head.” Soft strings kick in, and the song continues as is. You begin to wonder if Coldplay has really changed as much as you thought. But one minute and thirty-five seconds in, the song abruptly changes. To shocking effect. The shift from soft Coldplay piano to an electronic, techno-sounding beat made my jaw hit the ground (it’s a good thing that my jaw is used to this from countless LOST twists). The growing beat blew me away- think the string part to “Live and Let Die” remixed by James Murphy. The song gets huge, with hand-claps taking over, and Martin crying “You thought you might be a ghost. You didn’t get to heaven but you made it close.” Clap-clap-clap. Fantastic. To complete this epic, Coldplay uses the literary device of a full circle ending, repeating “Those who are dead…are not dead…they’re just living in my head,” over a soft piano. Maybe Coldplay’s goal of being the best band in the world is not too ridiculous.

 

Another side of Coldplay shows through with the very U2-sounding “Lovers In Japan/Reign of Love,” with a driving, piano beat that immediately made me think “City of Blinding Lights.” Martin also turns up the Bono in his voice, over an array of synthesizers, piano, drums, and strings. The song is another example of Coldplay trying to make themselves big, for as the song title suggests, the track is really two songs in one. About four minutes in, “Lovers in Japan” fades out, giving way to the very different “Reign of Love.” “Reign” features a pretty falsetto and nice piano melody from Martin. It is a smooth, beautiful song, but nothing TOO special. I don’t fully understand why the two songs were pieced together, as they are not similar songs and would both sound fine on their own. But it’s fine, Coldplay. I forgive you.

 

Following the 6:51 “Lovers In Japan,” “Yes” pipes in with beautiful strings, and we think we’re in for another orchestral epic. However, this is not the case, as the strings quickly wail away, and Martin’s voice enters (back in deep, creepy voice mode) with a Western twinge in the back. He chants the song, almost sensually breathing out the lyrics at first. After the boring Western vocals, strings fly in for a solo of their own, giving the song its best aspect, as the vocals drag and become somewhat fatiguing. “Yes” goes on for four minutes before coming to a near-complete stop, then continuing with guitars raining down, providing large-scale, stadium power chords. This second “hidden track” is still a part of “Yes,” but is really titled “Chinese Sleep Chant.” The beat is good, but not great, sounding like an X+Y leftover. “Yes” as a whole is perhaps the one song on Viva La Vida when Coldplay doesn’t achieve the musical moment it desires. This track had no need to be seven minutes long. Viva’s only notable flaw. I’ll take it.

 

“Viva La Vida” and “Violet Hill” come in order as the album’s 7th and 8th tracks, providing 8 fantastic minutes that more than make up for the 7 minutes of “Yes.” Not much more needs to be said about these two phenomenal songs, both of which have been posted on and analyzed constantly. “Violet” and “Viva” will probably both wind up high on my end-of-the-year songs list. If you were concerned whether or not the songs would fit within the context of album, put those fears aside. They work excellently.

 

The album’s penultimate track, “Strawberry Swiss,” blissfully begins with tribal drums clearly influenced by the recent resurgence of Afro-pop (Martin also tells that his mom was from Zimbabwe, and he “used to work in a studio where people played that.” ). The drums aren’t the only African aspect, as the song comes complete with a finger-picked guitar and hand-clapping/foot-stomping galore. Staccatto strings build over Martin’s soothing voice and falsetto. The song is the perfect background music to a montage of nature pictures, but not quite as simple as that analogy would infer, as it is musically rich in context. “It’s such a perfect day,” Martin’s faded voice chimes. “Now the sky, can be blue, I don’t mind…without you its a waste of time.” The song is filled with lush, beautiful psychedelic melodies. One of the album’s best.

 

The album closer, “Death and All His Friends,” makes up the second half of Coldplay’s ridiculous album title, and caps off the 10-track L.P. with a flourish. The song is very typical “Chris Martin And A Piano” for its initial 2 minutes. “So come over, just be patient, and don’t worry,” he sings, assuring us that Coldplay will deliver a great end to the album. And they do. “And don’t worry,” he continues to softly sing. Just as we realize that the new Coldplay wouldn’t keep a simple ballad as their album closer, a pulsing guitar enters, beginning another song-within-a-song “hidden track,” “The Escapist.” “Tryyy” is chanted by Martin over spastically pulsing violins and guitars, creating an instrumental stadium sound that provides a mirror to the album’s opener. Simply put, the song is simply epic piano rock. This is epic and driving music that you really feel. And with “The Escapist,” Coldplay finds the perfect way to end a massively orchestral album- with a full-blown orchestra.

 

Viva La Vida provides 44 minutes of bliss with so much diversity and ambition that it will be hard to find a music-lover who doesn’t love it. One of 2008’s top albums without a doubt.

My ‘If I was Pitchfork Rating’: 9.0

 

http://prettymuchamazing.com/2008/06/06/coldplay-viva-la-vida-or-death-and-all-his-friends-album-review/

^ thanks for that! after reading the review i can't wait to hear LIT and SS :D absolutely can't wait....ahhhh!

Finally a good review without any crap about how they aren't cool :P

nice review. 9/10 is pretty damn good

:heart:great review!

To the reviewer:

 

Thanks for the positive review of my favorite band, but you don't have to let people know it's now cool again to like Coldplay. It's always been cool to like Coldplay, but only their most diehard fans realized this - because it was us who recognized that the band has way more talent than people gave them credit for (talent that wasn't being fully utilized on X&Y).

 

Also, at this point maybe we can start to infer that Radiohead are the ones being influenced by Coldplay. Recall that musical inspiration isn't a one-way street! ;)

yarp, they sure have got alot of talent!:singer:

"Maybe Coldplay’s goal of being the best band in the world is not too ridiculous."

wtf??