Saffire

Personally I hope they just each have their own style - whatever colors they each feel like wearing, sorta like in the Parachutes days. But I've noticed they continue to wear mostly neutral colors in the paparazzi pics, so maybe they'll keep that up. I think they were overproduced on X&Y. I mean those were cool jackets but I don't think it's usually good for a band to have a dress code, lol. Only Guy should be allowed to do this, not sure about the others, lol.

This sounds awesome! I love gardens.

While snorting angel dust off a hooker's back. :P

I think the album art is meant to be a celebration of living for one's self, rather than going through the daily grind of working for others in an oppressive society. They could just as easily have used a painting depicting the American Revolution or the Saddam statue falling or whatever but I think this is more artistic in that it's not so politically relevant today... the focus isn't on partisanship as much as just the emotional effect.

Zemy said: I wholeheartedly agree. I wish they'd do this song over again... imagine how it would sound live at a concert!

WTH, lol, crotch-grabbing is illegal in Italy now?!? (if you're wondering what I'm talking about download and listen to the whole thing)

Y'all crazy.

"Her chestal section is exemplary." ...or something.

Here's the American version of the album cover... I can't wait! :P

Heh, I'm not much of an art history guru, but I do think it's interesting that Coldplay have deviated from their minimalist, iconic album covers of the past. Maybe this really is the beginning of a totally new direction for the band, as Jonny said.

Freakin' sweet!!!

Eh, I can see why you want to be on the lookout for child abuse, but in this case it turned out the "child" who called officials was actually some woman in another state who had nothing to do with any of this - she's been charged with filing a false police report. The state overreacted in this case. You don't go in and tear apart several families on a hunch, then DNA test them all - even after it was found out your central evidence was faulty. Sure, they're a weird bunch, but we need to make sure that every US citizen has their constitutional rights intact.

Would you do him in a box, with a fox?

Lol, great topic idea. I'm going to get all personal with this and just come out and say Chris is my least favorite member of the band. I know he writes great music but sometimes I think he can be a little obnoxious and he might inadvertently be leading the band into territory that's too commercial. Warning Sign is one of my favorite Coldplay songs. I know a lot of people don't like this one. Finally, I don't think Coldplay sounds anything like Radiohead. I don't care how many times the comparison is made, whoever thinks this probably can't tell the difference between roadkill and filet mignon. :P

Here's a link to an MP3 of that portion of the Elbow track locust7 was talking about: http://saffire.kundor.org/elbowdistortedguitar.mp3 Enjoy... we've got a lot to look forward to soon!

Thanks so much bro! It's amazing to hear someone talking about it... she sounds like she loves the whole album. I love how she says every song has a distinct sound to it and it could be a classic!

Geez, Hotplay007, you dug this up from the tar pits! :P

Sounds good. We've heard it's also a "blusey" song, and the song that springs to mind on Elbow's latest CD is "Grounds for Divorce" which has the gritty lyrics and blues-sound with the distorted guitar. Definitely something different and less sterile than anything on X&Y. I can't wait!

A Message is one of X&Y's strong points imo. Some of the lyrics some from this old hymn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Song_Is_Love_Unknown I love that Coldplay gets inspiration from so many places.

But what if you're gay or bisexual...? Then it gets really complex and you need a double major in English and Mathematics to figure it out. lol

Talk "Tidal Wave"

The beach/boardwalk thing sounds perfect, ApproximatelyInfinite. I'm a bit of an audiophile (I own a pair of 180 dollar Sennheiser headphones and a dedicated amp that receives optical audio input) but i'm more than happy to just load this on my iPod and go for an evening walk with a set of Sonys. Waiting to discover new layers/details in the music is part of the fun of hearing something for the umpteenth time with slightly better tech.

It occurred to me that the process of evaluating a new song or record should be similar to tasting wine. After all, if connoisseurs of wine go the extra length to maximize their enjoyment of it, why shouldn't music lovers do the same? And just like wine, Coldplay's new album contains many different "tastes" or elements of music: Brian Eno, Coldplay (obviously), African strings, and Spanish influences. Maybe we'll spot more as we hear it. Anyway, here are my recommendations for what to do on a first listen: 1. Relax, no stress: Make sure you've got all your petty chores and homework out of the way. 2. Make it an experience, not an experiment: Don't sit in a dark room with headphones on when you first listen to Violet Hill. Be doing something fun, like driving to a friend's house or jogging outdoors in this nice spring weather. Your mind will make a more positive association with the music that way. 3. Remember that wine tasters usually hang out with friends and compare thoughts. But our opinions are easily swayed when we are exposed to drama queens (I LOVED IT/I HATED IT crowds)... wait a few hours after hearing it before hitting the Coldplaying forums to see what others think. Coldplay is talking to you as an individual through their music, not to a group of people collectively. 4. Clease the Palate - Don't listen to other Coldplay music for a few days before the track comes out. In fact, listen to stuff in a totally different genre, or lay off music entirely for a short while. If anyone else has other thoughts or ideas along these lines, go ahead and add them in a post below! Tell us what you do to enjoy new music.

This gives me an idea for a new topic...

Thanks, deaths_friend, I will check them out!