An EMI press release has confirmed some of the details of Coldplay's forthcoming album. Their press release reads as follows:

Coldplay release their fourth album Viva La Vida or, to give it its full title, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends on Parlophone Records on June 16. The album comprises 10 brand new tracks, recorded in London, Barcelona and New York with producers Brian Eno and Markus Dravs. The track listing is:

1. Life In Technicolor

2. Cemeteries Of London

3. Lost!

4. 42

5. Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love

6. Yes

7. Viva La Vida

8. Violet Hill

9. Strawberry Swing

10. Death And All His friends

Viva La Vida follows the hugely successful album X&Y, which has sold 10 million copies since its release in 2005.

More on this here [thanks Coldpatrix]

Looking at the possibility of starting fiscal year 2009 with a bang, EMI will release Coldplay's fourth album, "Viva La Vida," in the third week of June, less than a month after the Brit conglom releases year-end financials that are expected to reveal the costs of its massive restructuring.

Hits have been few and far between for EMI in Guy Hands' rookie season and the company's current representatives in the top 50 are a Trace Adkins hits compilation and the B-52's first album in 16 years. The pressure will be enormous for "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" - that's the full title - to perform at a level equal or better than its predecessor, "X&Y," which has sold 10 million copies worldwide since its release in 2005. (The RIAA, which certifies shipments, has "X&Y" at 3 million copies in the U.S.)

"X&Y" sold 737,294 copies in its first week of release back in 2005 and Coldplay-mania was so strong then that their first two albums, "A Rush of Blood to the Head" and "Parachutes" rose to Nos. 1 and 2 on the catalog albums chart. "X&Y" debuted at No. 1 in more than 20 countries.

During the Eric Nicoli years, EMI often blamed stock slumps on the lack of or delays in new Coldplay and/or Radiohead material, which meant the company had to tout Beach Boys, Dean Martin and Beatles packages along with front line releases for signs of good news.

With EMI streamlined, the jury is still out as to whether they will be able to break new artists on the scale of Coldplay or even Norah Jones. But its reduction in size, however, may mean that a single record from a single band may be able to jumpstart a company.

The album's 10 tracks are:

"Life in Technicolor"

"Cemeteries of London"

"Lost!"

"42"

"Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love"

"Yes"

"Viva La Vida"

"Violet Hill"

"Strawberry Swing"

"Death and All His Friends"

More on this story here

La Sicilia, the Italian newspaper today unveiled more details about Coldplay's trip to Italy where the band has been filming the video for their new single, Violet Hill, taken from the forthcoming album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, due for release on June 16.

According to the news article, Coldplay were guests at Villa Angela in Taormina, residence of Jim Kerr, lead singer of Simple Minds. Coldplay returned to the region where they previously played to 2000 people in concert in Misterbianco, in the province of Catania. Chris Martin said of the journey, 'We would like to return to play in this wonderful theatre in the future.'

The article confirmed the first single as Violet Hill along with the hidden track The Escapist. Coldplay not only shot the video for their single (note that will be released in May) on the lake Nicoletti of Enna, but also appeared at Siracusa and Catania as well as the beautiful Taormina, for a photo shoot.

See the full size article here in Italian [thanks Coldpatrix & friends @ coldplayzone.it for posting the scan and info.]

Coldplay have arrived in Sicily, Italy to shoot the video for the first single, Violet Hill, taken from Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends.

It was originally thought that only 'Prospekt' was present in Italy, but Italian media has confirmed that it was the whole band, ready to film a video for the first single of the fourth album.

Confirmed today, the film set has been a very restricted area, and is located in Enna (the Italian city at the highest altitude), near Nicoletti lake. The source, an italian newspaper, Il Mattino, said that the single will be released in May and the tracklist will include the soundtrack, 'The Escapist'. The film 'The Escapist' is released around the same time as Coldplay's fourth album, in mid June.

More on this here [thanks Coldpatrix]

Various media sources are focusing on the fact that Coldplay will not abandon choruses for the new album due out in June.

They say that Chris Martin has promised Coldplay fans that the group's new album will not be too much of a departure from their previous material. Rumours have suggested that the new LP could be less commercially-friendly due to its experimental nature, which was influenced by producer Brian Eno. However, frontman Chris insisted: "We're still obsessed with making songs that can be sung to the rafters. We just wanted to present them differently."

The full tracklist for the album, titled Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, was released yesterday. Latest forum links:

New Album Tracklisting!! [thanks *Mike*]

your opinion on OFFICIAL LP4 tracklist [thanks NeSs1776 ]

Viva la Vida possibly leaked? [thanks yamfox]

The Fratellis have spoken for the first time about a technical hitch that threw production of their second album into disarray.

The rockers’ second opus Here We Stand was due to hit shops last week but has been delayed until June after their mixer bailed out. Frontman Jon Fratelli explained: “The guy cried off the day before he was due to start. I was devastated. You just want to give up. He hadn’t finished the Coldplay album but, as much as I like them, I thought that was a rubbish reason.”

More on this here [thanks mimixxx]

Coldplay lets its creative flag fly on its fourth studio album, "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends," due June 17 via Capitol. "We're still obsessed with making songs that can be sung to the rafters," frontman Chris Martin says. "We just wanted to present them differently."

To accomplish that goal, the group turned to co-producers Brian Eno and Markus Dravs, who adorn the material with grandiose embellishments the likes of which have never been heard before on a Coldplay album. "Viva La Vida" begins with a strident instrumental, "Life in Technicolor," built as much on an arpeggiated synth foundation as it is on an acoustic guitar melody. The same instrumental is tacked onto the final song, "Death and All His Friends," as a hidden track dubbed "The Escapist."

In between, the band frequently breaks from verse-chorus-verse constructions, particularly on "42," which is comprised of three distinct, seemingly unrelated sections. "Yes" shifts from a string- and tabla-driven rocker into a shoegazer-y breakdown, while a funky groove emerges from out of nowhere in the middle of "Death and All His Friends."

Elsewhere, Martin and the piano are at the forefront of the shimmering "Reign of Love," while "Cemeteries of London" conjures a foreboding vibe apropos of its title and "Lost!" swells with massive-sounding church organ strains. Drummer Will Champion credits Eno with upending Coldplay's usual working habits in the studio. "Brian has this amazing ability to demystify wonderful music and make it seem very achievable," he says. "We weren't afraid to try anything."

Coldplay recorded a number of other songs that did not wind up making the final track list, including "Postcards From Far Away," "Lukas," "Rainy Day," "The Goldrush" and "Now My Feet Won't Touch the Ground," but it's unknown if they will be released in some form down the road.

Here is the track list for "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends":

"Life in Technicolor"

"Cemeteries of London"

"Lost!"

"42"

"Lovers in Japan"/"Reign of Love"

"Yes"

"Viva La Vida"

"Violet Hill"

"Strawberry Swing"

"Death and All His Friends"

More on this here [thanks ravrat]

The official tracklisting to Coldplay's fourth album is now officially announced. Interestingly, the album appears to be called 'Viva La Vida'. Prospekt says:

The powers-that-be tell me it'll be available for general consumption on June 16/17, depending on where you live. We'll try to release a track or two before then...

Prospekt.

The tracklisting is as follows:

Life In Technicolor

Cemeteries Of London

Lost!

42

Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love

Yes

Viva La Vida

Violet Hill

Strawberry Swing

Death And All His Friends

More on this here [thanks *mike*]

We haven't yet had an official tracklisting to Coldplay's fourth album, 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends', but Swedish online music retailer cdon.com are indicating that it might be an eleven track affair, starting with Famous Old Painters and signing off with Prospekt's March. This is despite that Coldplay have already hinted that it would only contain nine tracks.

Additionally, they're calling it a Limited Gatefold Wallet Edition.

More on this here [thanks Sun is shining & GazeboflossUK]

Former Liberty X star Michelle Heaton is covering Coldplay’s single Talk to release as her debut solo single.

The pop singer was persuaded to tackle the Chris Martin-penned tune, which went Top 10 in 2005, by Boyzone's Keith Duffy. All money raised from sales will go to charity Irish Autism Action, of which Duffy is an ambassador.

The celebrities have both been working together recently on the judging panel of the Irish version of The X Factor, called You’re A Star. Michelle told Mirror.co.uk: "I'm very nervous as I have never sung solo. I've only ever recorded with the rest of Liberty X. But Keith has a lot of faith in me and I'm not going to let him down. I'll be releasing the song in aid of Irish Autism Action which is a cause close to Keith's heart."

More on this here

Set your ‘Clocks’ because Coldplay will be performing on TODAY and answering your online questions

Following news that Coldplay will be performing on Today on June 27th 2008, the show has announced that they will be airing questions fired to the band. You can now submit your questions online here.

Curious about the meaning behind their new album? Do you wonder what they do before a show? E-mail your questions for the band! Don't forget Coldplay will hit Rockefeller Plaza the morning of Friday, June 27th for a live performance on the Today show.

Have you already sent in a question for the band? Why not share it with the Coldplaying messageboard (and read all the other submissions) here [thanks WCfan]

Ever since Prospekt announced the last LP4 update over two weeks ago, Coldplay fans have been wondering why Maine, Portland has been on the map.

Well Coldplaying.com can reveal that one possible (and very feasible) solution is a visit to the award winning mastering company, Gateway Mastering & DVD, based in the city. The company's two resident sound engineers, Bob Ludwig and Adam Ayan are specialists in their field and have won Grammys. Adam Ayan won 2 Latin Grammy Awards at the 8th Annual Latin Grammys in Las Vegas on Thursday, November 8th, 2007 and the company have worked on over 35 recordings that have later been nominated for a Grammy. Take a look at their website here.

More on this story here [thanks lunesazul2004]

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

Portland, Maine

March 19, 2008

Album should be finished by the end of the week. I'll write up a tracklisting once we've finally decided what it's going to be.

Prospekt.

PS - The actual title of the album is... 'Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends'

We're finalising the tracklisting today.

For their fourth album, Coldplay enlisted producer Brian Eno to broaden their palette beyond the piano-heavy anthems the band is best known for.

"Strawberry Swing" includes Afro-pop guitars, "42" is a three-part epic built on glitchy loops and "Yes!" mixes Middle Eastern percussion with Chris Martin's newfound deep-register vocals. "It's impossible to please everybody, and it took us a while to learn that," says Martin, adding that he credits Eno, who has made records with U2 and the Talking Heads, with helping the band leave its comfort zone. "You have to stop caring about what you're known for," says Martin. "So even if it's shit, at least it's brave."

Listen to Chris Martin discuss the effect singing low has on his voice teacher, what influenced Viva la Vida's sound and more here.

Discuss the audio interview and article here [thanks cephaus & Zemy101]

Weeks after the official announcement was made, buzz for the upcoming Pemberton Festival only seems to be growing, and so far, sales are going strong.

The three-day event will be held on the Ravenscrest property in the Pemberton Valley July 25 to 27, and will feature performances by almost 50 musical acts, including Coldplay, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Jay Z, Nine Inch Nails, and The Tragically Hip. The maximum capacity for the site is 40,000 people, and organizers say they are now expecting to sell out.

“It’s been an incredible response, surpassing our expectation,” organizer Shane Bourbonnais said in an interview Tuesday afternoon. “…We’re well on-track to where we want to be, and we’re well on track to selling this event out, which is an incredible feat for a first-year festival.”

Read the full article here

Natasha Bedingfield. The British songtress, whose second album Pocketful of Sunshine is in stores now, is eying a collaboration with Coldlay's Chris Martin. The 26-year-old stopped by SoHo's Bar Martignetti to chat with OK! about her tunes, touring with Justin Timberlake and why she'd never be caught red-handed without knickers.

Who would you love to work with next?

I would love to do something with Coldplay. Chris [Martin], the band, Gwyneth [Paltrow], everything. I'd also love to work with Mark Ronson. He's so sexy, and that comes through in his music.

More on this story here

Here is a repeat of the online photograph published by Rolling Stone in March, but this time WITH Guy Berryman in.

If you're interesting in reading the article again, click here to see a scanned version. [Thanks ApproximatelyInfinite & melanieau]

Kanye West recently posted pictures on his blog of scenes from the next music video, for the single Homecoming featuring Coldplay's Chris Martin.

Now the video has been released and you can see it here and some screenshots here [thanks Motoi & Pallavi]

As Rant/Rave blog wrote, "Kanye. Chris Martin. In a black-and-white homage to Chicago. I have nothing else to say. Enjoy."

Check out the 1999 section of Coldplay.com for a new star.

Coachella - April 30th 2005

Oh shit.

CM

More on this star, inlcuding the video here onwards [thanks Fixed]

Read the full chronology, including all Prospekt updates, at WikiColdplay

Sunday Mail photographer Mark Anderson scooped a top award for this shot of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin dozing on a ferry. The singer fell asleep on the sail from Arran to Ardrossan after attending his uncle Angus Fleming's funeral.

Mark, 26, won Celebrity Picture of the Year at the First Scotrail Press Photography Awards. The judges, who included ScotRail MD Mary Dickson, said: "A lovely, observational image which really stood out. You really feel caught in the moment."

Mark said: "I had spent the day looking for him on the island and found he was getting on the ferry. I dumped the car and got on board. It was a shock to realise the figure lying asleep was him."

More on this here [thanks Marcoldplayer]

Why is millionaire Coldplay star Chris Martin sleeping rough?

Exclusive: Exhausted Chris Travels North For Family Funeral

According to the largest online retailer in the Netherlands, Bol.com, the tracklist of Coldplay's new album will be:

1. Violet Hill

2. 42

3. Yes

4. Death And All His Friends

5. Cemeteries Of London

6. Life In Technicolor

7. Chinese Sleep Chant

8. Strawberry Swing

9. Reign Of Love

EU release: 18.06.2008

More on this here [thanks BigFatNoises]

Tickets for this summer's Pemberton Festival - to be headlined by Coldplay - are selling fast. You can buy yours from the official website here.

Organizers are reporting the first block of early-bird tickets have sold out and a new block priced at more than $260 each are now on sale. The inaugural three-day festival which starts Friday, July 25th, will also feature performances by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Nine Inch Nails, Jay-Z and Canadian band The Tragically Hip.

Up to 37,000 people are expected to show up, with more than half being allowed to set up camp at the 500-acre site. The current population of Pemberton is about 2500.

More on Coldplay at the Pemberton festival here

After a courageous, 11-month battle for her life, Toronto Sun writer Sherri Wood died last night of brain cancer. The Etobicoke native was two weeks shy of her 29th birthday.

The last story Sherri wrote for the Sun was on April 15 of last year, a review of a Kool Haus concert by Brooklyn indie-rock troupe Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Within hours of filing, she collapsed suddenly and was rushed to hospital, right out of the blue. Her brain was hemorrhaging -- she'd unknowingly had tumours for years -- and was fast dying. She was given last rites but, unsurprisingly to all who know her, she hung on. Within weeks, Sherri was on her feet, vowing to make a complete recovery. Yesterday, she lost that battle.

Anastasia Saradoc (EMI Music Canada):

I was so incredibly saddened to hear about Sherri passing away. My heartfelt condolences go to her family, friends and co-workers. This fabulous girl will be so greatly missed! Sherri was so wonderful to work with -- she had a great energy and enthusiasm that not all journalists have. I will especially fondly remember our many Coldplay conversations and what a thrill it was for her when she interviewed Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland from the band in May 2005. Her genuine interest/respect for the band and her exceptional sense of humour easily made this interview one of the highlights for the guys during that intense promo visit to Toronto.

More on this story (and read the aforementioned Coldplay interview) here

Band reveal how Coldplay frontman helped out

REM have revealed that their close pal Chris Martin helped them name new single 'Supernatural Superserious'.

The song, which is the first track to be lifted from new album 'Accelerate', was originally called 'Disguised' after being previewed at the band’s five-night run at Dublin's Olympia Theatre last summer. However, according to REM's frontman Michael Stipe [pictured], the track was renamed after a bit of advice from the Coldplay frontman.

He told Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 1: "We were in London, in Soho, mixing the record and Chris Martin was working on the Coldplay record as well, and he's great friends with the band. He was listening to the song, and said 'It's a great song but a crap title, you have to change it'. He offered this title and we went with it."

'Accelerate' is released next week (March 31).

More on this here

The Today show has announced the lineup for the 13th annual Summer Concert Series, let's just say there's a promise of a new day (okay, we'll stop).

Headliners include Miley Cyrus, Mary J Blige, Chris Brown, Alanis Morissette, Ashlee Simpson (sans lip sync hoe down, we're sure), Kenny Chesney and Coldplay. The summer series kicks off a couple months early with a "special comeback performance" by American Idol's Paula Abdul on Friday, April 25.

More on this here [thanks sparksdaylight]

Click read full story to see the full list of performances...

APRIL

25 Paula Abdul

MAY

2 Neil Diamond

9 Mary J Blige

16 Surprise Reunion concert

23 Alanis Morissette

26 B-52s (Special Memorial Day Concert)

30 Donna Summer

JUNE

6 Chris Brown

13 Kenny Chesney

20 Rihanna

27 Coldplay

JULY

4 Ashlee Simpson

11 Rascal Flatts

18 Natasha Bedingfield

25 Miley Cyrus

AUGUST

1 Sheryl Crow

Check out the 1999 section of Coldplay.com for a new star.

Supporting Catatonia, 13th April '99

We couldn't believe that they had spirits on their rider. Jack Daniels makes your voice gravelly.

JMB

More on this star here onwards [thanks Fixed]

Read the full chronology, including all Prospekt updates, at WikiColdplay