Yeah, the fact Chris came up with a Christmas song, just means Chris came up with a Christmas song, and will probably release that song as a free download next christmas. I'm sure Chris has sketched out at least a dozen new song ideas before or since that interview.

Coldplay: "Next album will be inspired by the Middle East"

Chris Martin performs during a concert in Singapore as part of Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida' tour, on March 23, 2009.

 

ABU DHABI // Coldplay’s last album was inspired by the sights and sounds of South America, but the next will draw on the Middle East’s rich cultural heritage.

 

Speaking yesterday, ahead of this weekend’s eagerly awaited concert at the Emirates Palace hotel, the British band’s lead singer Chris Martin described the visit to Abu Dhabi as part of a musical odyssey that typified Coldplay’s spirit.

 

Huge international acclaim has taken the band to countries as far apart as the US, New Zealand and Singapore. But Martin said he was looking beyond a single live appearance, the only date in the Gulf on an extensive world tour. Instead, he sees the Middle East as “uncharted territory”, a region that promises the band an element of mystical excitement that will prove a creative force in their musical development.

 

“Musicians are hungry for freshness,” he said. “Somewhere like Abu Dhabi sounds unknown, exotic and exciting. In the same way, we’d still like to go to places like China or Russia.”

 

In pursuit of his artistic dream, Martin plans to bring the band back at the end of the tour to record some demos of new material.

 

The journey may well begin in Damascus. “Something in my brain tells me that some good music is going to happen there,” he said. “We need to start recording somewhere hot to give the music a different feel. It’s about time for us to make the change.”

 

Among the highlights identified by Martin from the current Viva La Vida tour have been a free concert for the UK charity War Child and a performance in New York’s Madison Square Garden. But he said that he “can’t wait” to come to the region this week.

 

Interviewed by The National before a show in Singapore, he said: “I’ve kept the Middle East as the last place in the world as I feel like it’s going to be important. It’s nice to save somewhere.”

 

One source of this inspiration may be his admiration for the US-based band The Brothers of Baladi, whose repertoire includes songs in Arabic and Turkish, with accompaniment on such traditional Middle Eastern instruments as the oud.

 

Back in the UK, Martin said, the band’s friends and family were envious of their trip to the UAE as the latest addition to their world travels.

 

Coldplay’s disparate search for influences took them to Liverpool during the preparation of their debut album, Parachutes, in 2000. As the home of the Beatles, one of the bands cited as contributing to the evolution of Coldplay’s diverse style, the city was a logical choice.

 

The band’s exceptional success has since taken them to the US and more recently South America.

 

But if Martin, 32, is beyond doubt a superstar, he displays a degree of modesty rarely encountered at his level of fame, and declares it a privilege to have the opportunity to travel so widely.

 

Viva la Vida is topping album charts around the world and helped Coldplay collect three Grammy Awards at the ceremony in January, including song of the year for the title track. The band’s record sales are estimated at around 30 million albums.

 

“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to make people have as much fun as possible on an evening when they could choose 87 other things to do,” said Martin. “This gig isn’t about expansion, but about coming to say hi.”

 

At Coldplay’s own Camden recording studio in London, there is a list of 12 “rules”; on tour, however, there are none, the singer says.

 

Although Martin is the indisputable voice of the band, he has recently decreed that there should be “less Chris Martin” in Coldplay’s music and more collaborations – building on a recent partnership with the rap singer Kanye West – and vocal contributions from other band members. Martin described his aim as to offer “as many voices as possible”.

 

Fans, in time, needed more diversity, Martin said. He discourages the view that it has been his unique sound that has been the root of Coldplay’s phenomenal success. “We also agreed that anything the lead singer doesn’t want to sing, he doesn’t sing.”

 

Coldplay admirers are unlikely to be disappointed with Saturday night’s 15,000-capacity show. The band are bringing hi-tech video spheres, multimillion dollar lighting and audio technology systems characterised by Martin as “more of a show than a concert”.

 

Each concert on their world tour, he said, had offered something different, keeping each performance fresh and unique. “It’s like being in a play. We’re trying to make a story to it. There are certain tricks we’ve come up with for this tour which we’ve always wanted to do. We’re trying things we haven’t done before.”

 

Coldplay are being supported by the US alternative rock band Mercury Rev, another group Martin admires. “We can always learn from each other when we tour with people you respect so much and these guys have so many pearls of wisdom. We’re having a lot of fun.”

 

Saturday’s concert will be carbon neutral to mark Earth Hour Day, an event funded by Enviromena Power Systems, based in Abu Dhabi, with support from the World Wildlife Fund. Organisers are helping to fund a wind farm in New Zealand to offset all energy consumed in putting on the event.

 

At 8.30pm that night lights will be turned off for an hour in buildings around the world, including the UAE, to promote energy conservation. The organisers estimate that the show will generate around 600 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Because of the practical difficulty of pulling the plug on a stadium full of people during a concert, the promoters will buy wind farm energy credits to show their support.

 

After Saturday’s Abu Dhabi date the band will be moving on to the US, Canada and Europe.

 

[Thanks Busybeeburns]:P

Roadie #42 - Blog #79

April 20, 2009 4:19 pm

#42 blogs while the band work on new tunes

After three glorious weeks of real life, families, home and becoming human again we're back to a quick stint of recording. There has been some listening back to things recorded earlier in the year and some exploring of new ideas. 



 

Will has a new toy for drum programming which has sent him on a beat-making odyssey. He rolls up today with a new idea and announces cheerfully to all that, "It's in seven four time and it's 168 bpm". For those of you less versed in music theory, "Seven four time" means that when he kicks off the drum machine, everyone spends a lot of time asking, "Where's the one?". Meanwhile, "168 bpm" means that everyone is getting confused very quickly.



 

Slowly, from the chaos comes great beauty. The concentration of feeling the beat has forced everyone to play in an open and simple manner. Before long, a gentle and chilled piece builds up with an utterly joyous feel. It's a great kick-start to the week. Layers of vocals are added until it becomes a rich, complex weave. 



 

Two hours ago all that existed was a loop in Will's laptop. Now there is solid piece that is joyous, beautiful and filling all present with enthusiasm.

 



It's a sure sign that things are going well, when everyone is back from lunch early. The afternoon continues with the most filthy funk I've heard from these guys. Jonny, in particular, has coaxed a sound from the Moog synth that borders on the obscene. 



 

We're back now into odd time signatures with a piece from last week in five four time. They're all standing together around one mic about five feet to my right. I remember back at the start of the X&Y tour when the idea of anyone but Will doing backing vocals was very strange indeed (not least to Guy and Jonny!). Now they're a very tight and rich vocal group. Doubtless Brian is very proud...



 

I seem to be spinning as many plates as ever right now, so rather than wait until I have time to write an epic, I'll sign off now. I will say though, that although the material here is in its most embryonic form it's not just promising, it's astonishing.

 

 

 

R#42

 

 

 

SO FUCKING EXCITED ABOUT THIS!

Same here. And it hasn't been so long since Viva.. but man I want another album quick!!!

 

 

--------------------------------

Coldplay Concept Album????

Globe trotting, Grammy scooping, stadium rocking giants Coldplay could be set to record a concept album.

Coldplay have finally left their indie roots behind. While the image of Chris Martin as a curly haired hopeful crooning early hit 'Yellow' may be lodged in the minds of British music fans, the band have soared beyond this to become a truly global concern.

The band released their latest album 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' last year. A phenomenal success, it became a transatlantic number one and hit the charts across the globe.

Since then, however, Coldplay have been dogged by a plagiarism case. American axe welder Joe Satriani claims that the band's single 'Viva La Vida' is virtually the same as a song he released in 2004.

The band reject this, but a legal battle is ongoing. In response, Coldplay could be about to take a turn towards the left field. In a recent interview drummer Will Champion revealed that he had bought a new drum machine and was experimenting with some downright odd time signatures.

Lead singer Chris Martin, meanwhile, let slip in a recent interview that the band could be set to record a concept album. "We spend an awful lot of time creating," he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Maybe it's because we're about to turn 33, but I just feel hungry to write all the time."

"I think at the end of this tour, we may not tour for a while. We may put out a record without quite so much fanfare. I think the next one will be quite stripped-down and based upon this story idea which I can't talk about because it might be bad."

Coldplay are currently completing a world tour, which has seen them collect some live recordings on a free

Chris Martin could be set to take inspiration from cult television show The Wire saying "the main thing I do on tour is write, and then go watch."

The singer also denied allegations that he was ready to record a solo album, telling journalists "hell would have to not only freeze over, but be skated over and completely closed up. The pope would have to declare that it didn't even exist. I can't think of anything worse."

Coldplay are due to begin recording their new album later this year.

http://www.clashmusic.com/news/coldplay-concept-album

 

 

---------------------------------------------

[Article] Coldplay's next album set to reflect the band's close bond

I'm backstage at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf when rock superstar Chris Martin of Coldplay pops the question. Billy, what do you think we should do next? Where should we go with all this?" he asks.

 

I almost fall off my chair, scrambling to find words of advice. It's just minutes before Coldplay are to perform before a 50,000 sell-out crowd at the home of German soccer team Fortuna. The singer fixes me a stare but seems satisfied when I tell him to cement his friendship with band members Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion and build on the foundations of the music made so far. Coldplay have sold more than 50 million records and hit Hampden Park in Glasgow on September 16 as part of their latest world tour.

The phenomenal success of their four albums - Parachutes (2000), A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002), X & Y (2005) and Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends (2008) - has elevated them to become one of rock's biggest acts. But Chris, 32, is still reaching for new goals. The singer says: "We have to go in a very different direction with our next record. We know what we have to do. The big mistake would be to try to replicate the size of Viva La Vida.We'll probably just rely on the chemistry between us rather than too much musical trickery."

 

Bassist Guy, 31 - from Kirkcaldy, Fife - is also fired up by the prospect of going back into the studio. He says: "We've already got lists of song ideas. We never stop writing. We go into the studio with all the best laid plans then what we end up with is not what we intended. It's just exciting to wonder what will come out the speakers in a year's time. "We have very exciting things lined up. It's time to take our music down different directions and really explore other avenues."

 

Read full article here:http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61553

Hey guys!

I just discovered this thread!

 

It's been 5 months since the last post!!!!!!!!!!! :stunned:

What happened???

;)

 

I liked your ideas for the LP5.

As for me, I loved all their albums, so I don't really have any suggestion for the next one!

VLV really surprised me, and I loved it. So I hope the next album will surprises us all! And I'm sure it will!!!!

:)

It'd better not be a "Similar Poppy Miley Cyrus songs" album :dozey:

I would hunt them down and kill them with my bare hands :lol:

It'd better not be a "Similar Poppy Miley Cyrus songs" album :dozey:

I would hunt them down and kill them with my bare hands :lol:

 

:lol:

In that case, I'd go with you!!! :lol:

I voted Kid A.

I didn't update this thread in ages, but now I have, I think its all updated.

:clap:

Weird...

 

Who thinks we'll see Spanish Rain in LP5? I doubt it, but it's really good. Didn't Chris say they're trying to add a storyline to it in sept of 09? I read that on the coldplay wiki. Wedding Bells would prob make it to the album. I hope christmas lights does, that song is amazzzzing.

Chances are none of those will make it! I have my doubts about FOP even making it!

Nooo :bigcry: Famous Old Painters!

i cant wait :bigcry:

 

MTV: Coldplay album definately isn't coming out this year

 

It's one of the eternal challenges of the musician: to describe the sound you hear in your head and translate it into a song that will stir emotion in your fans. Even harder, though, is describing those songs before they are even halfway finished and trying to make sense of what they may turn into.

 

In the case of Coldplay, that job currently falls to the mysterious "Roadie #42," who has been posting infrequent updates on the band's website, the latest of which promises that the tunes for their follow up to the world smash Viva la Vida will be full of, well, "killer" songs.

 

Roadie, who revealed that his/her role has recently expanded to engineering the album, said a few of the lyrics from the band's debut hit "Yellow" — "your skin and bones turn into something beautiful" — aptly describe the current process.

 

"With the project getting something of a reboot after Latin America, they've been very much back in the exploratory phase again," #42 wrote. "As described in the previous blog, there is a list of songs now and those songs have verses, choruses, riffs, lyrics and so on. These are the raw materials, though. Unrefined and rough, this is the record's skin and bones, if you will. The 'turning into something beautiful' bit is the result of two methodologies."

 

Working again with Brian Eno, Coldplay have been tracking the album at their new studio in London and in Budapest, and after a recent tour of South America, #42 said they were recently back at work in earnest. Eno has tried to shake things up by forcing singer Chris Martin to work separately from his bandmates and then pairing the band's members up at random to push the envelope. When last we checked in, the Roadie said rough mixes for a number of songs and a "possible running order" had already been written up.

 

The first methodology is what Eno calls the "screwdriver work," the craftsmanship and songwriting phase where everything is "tried and changed, analysed and re-appraised" in search of that special Coldplay magic. The second are the "happy accidents" that happen when someone is just noodling around or putting words from a different song onto a new arrangement.

 

"Both things get the record made and neither can be invoked by attempting the other," #42 wrote. "Sitting around waiting for inspiration doesn't get the hard work done and long conversations and methodical approaches can waste hours when a single snap of brilliance can change everything in an instant."

 

While Eno has been popping in to check on progress, he's also been leaving the band alone to get things done. "It's been noted that he's having as much effect on the record when he isn't here as when he is. The band observed a little while ago that very often when they were working without him and getting stuck, they'd think of something that he would say and apply it, getting them 'over the hump.' " In order to help, the band asked Eno to come up with a kind of Ten Commandments they could hang on the studio wall that would help them get out of musical dilemmas.

 

The rules appear to be working, as Roadie described: "I've seen Chris on more than one occasion get halfway through playing something a little too flowery or 'done before,' before breaking down in laughter and shaking his head, saying, 'All I can hear in the back of my head is Brian telling me off.' "

 

The band is on break again for a few weeks, spending time with family, but not before a recent spurt of hard work that consisted of " a real concerted effort to push every song to a place that everyone was excited about ... Anything that's not as great as the current favourite song gets strong focus. Problems get the spotlight so that they can't hide. A verse that's not flowing into the bridge gracefully can get a whole day's attention — the screwdrivers have well and truly been out."

 

After weeks of tweaking the little details and only paying attention to the bits that don't work, Roadie said the band is now taking a longer step back and "trying to objectively experience what they have made so far. I could be mistaken, but it genuinely felt as though there was real excitement spreading through the room. Perhaps it began to dawn on the fellas that what they have here is more than just a collection of intros, verses and choruses.

 

"The songs haven't assumed their final beautiful form yet, but they're a very long way from their skin and bones phase. What's impossible not to conclude, though, is that they have some absolutely killer tunes. I have no idea whether the fellas left for their break proud of what they've achieved so far and excited about what they have here, but I really hope so. They should be."

 

A spokesperson for the band had "no additional news to share, other than the fact that the album definitely isn't coming this year."

 

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1641596/20100615/coldplay.jhtml

Interesting. Because according to EMI representatives, it IS coming out this year.

 

Looks like there might be an interesting fight. EMI will certainly be pushing Coldplay to release it pre-xmas.

 

http://auspop.blogspot.com/2010/06/coldplay-comfort.html

 

EMI Australia has given Aussie fans of Coldplay hope that the band may have their brand new album in-store before Christmas. The as yet untitled and yet to be finished new LP will be the follow-up to 2008's 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends'.

According to the EMI press release, "The Grammy Award-winning four-piece recently spent two months in an abandoned church working on the LP. They’ve taken the last fortnight off but re-enter the studio this week to complete it."

EMI has also hinted at a release just before Christmas.

 

Nothing new, but they're holding their ground...

thanks for the info! Is the EMI press release that they mentioned knocking about anywhere?

I messaged the website hosts asking for an original. Will post it if they send it to me.

First I was sad about the MTV article, then I got happy again with the EMI statement. :wacky:

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a xmas release!

It seems to me that nobody knows exactly what is going on!

 

I guess we just have to wait until we get official confirmation :inquisitive:

^ of course! But until then, just hope for a release as early as possible! :P

I don't understand why it wouldn't be out before the end of the year. After reading Roadie #42's recent blogs it seems like the only things left is to choose which songs to put on the album and then refine the songs a bit. That can't take too long right? I mean, there's still about 6 months left of the year.

better not to get our hopes up too quickly...

It seems to me that nobody knows exactly what is going on!

 

I guess we just have to wait until we get official confirmation :inquisitive:

 

I'm sticking to this.