MasoKnight

haven't been on coldplaying in forever. Came back just to say: Listen to The Veils' new album right now! It's very very good

Um, yes, they do it all the time in Europe. It's not that difficult to find open dates in five cities within a week or two, particularly for a certain money-maker. I imagine coordinating a crew wouldn't take more than a month or two.

Sort of sends a bad message. Imagine if they postponed a European tour. Is there a chance in hell it wouldn't be rescheduled? I mean, take a week, do five shows in five different countries.

Their best song

I thought Chris's performance was wonderful. Consider what that version of Viva would've sounded like in 2008/2009. Also liked the guitar and piano arrangements. Simple and striking.

I would drop Paradise and Fix You way down, and then move HLH and Shiver way up, but otherwise it seems pretty fair.

Animals

Here's a pretty high quality video from the other night: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXN68fZ7ZQw]Coldplay Amsterdam Live Chicago 08/8/2012 - YouTube[/ame] First time in full since 2003!

The harmonies are what really make the song for me. Such an interesting and lovely change of pace. Edit: Chris definitely sings "won't change a thing" on all the live versions I can think of (except the "first time live" version where the line isn't there at all). But I always thought it was "sin" on the album until I heard it live. Now it sounds like "thin'" to me, like someone who talks with an accent like Chris had in 2002 would say "thing."

Viva all the way. The smaller outdoor concerts they did in the US in 2009 were fantastic. "Hurts Like Heaven" and the wristbands are the only things I can think of that compare to the creativity of that era.

The line is "Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack/I went out for a ride and I never went back." It's from Springsteen's "Hungry Heart," which I think Chris has covered once or twice live. There are some performances floating around somewhere in the MM forum. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxptQ_75mQw]Bruce Springsteen - Hungry Heart (Lyrics) - YouTube[/ame]

As an album, I think VLV still tops AROBTTH for me, but Coldplay have never been on a writing streak like they were during the AROBTTH era. That album + its b-sides + live additions. Incredible.

I like how it says they display an energy rivaled only by Coldplay themselves, yet sound exactly like Coldplay if the energy were all drained out.

This looks incredibly lame. :/

Hope everyone jumped all over The Walkmen's new album Heaven. Fantastic. Same with Fiona Apple's new one.

As cruel as Pitchfork was to Coldplay's early albums, they've almost always spoken highly of Chris's collaborations with others: see especially "Where Is My Boy?".

"Heady Fwends comes to a peaceful conclusion with "I Don't Want You to Die", a mournful piano ballad boasting a liberal quote of John Lennon's "Imagine" and a tasteful, middle-eight assist from Chris Martin. With Coyne reverting back to the creaky, Neil Youngian croon he hasn't really adopted since the 90s, the song presents a fearful rumination of death that feels like the more vulnerable flipside to the life-affirming gospel of "Do You Realize??" But it's also a welcome reminder that, stripped of all their spectacle and high-concept strategies, the Flaming Lips can still win you over the same way they did 20 years ago, with a sweet, sad melody and simple, affecting sentiment. "I love the Flaming Lips," Martin blurts out in the recording's dying seconds-- and, really, that's the only thing on this surprisingly substantial album that feels obvious." http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16522-the-flaming-lips/

Well, that would be awesome to hear.

Interesting find! I'm sure someone else has a copy that will make its way to the internet at some point. By the way, YouTube says it was Warner Bros. (The Ellen Show) that had the video pulled. Coldplay/EMI had nothing to do with it.

Wow, Daylight! I would've died. Pretty much the only thing that would've erased the horror of What If.

Shiver Politik White Shadows Death and All His Friends (This is definitely the toughest choice) Hurts Like Heaven

Hurts Like Heaven 9 (+) Paradise 4 (-) Charlie Brown 7 Us Against the World 8 Major Minus 3 UFO 6 Dont Let It Break Your Heart 8 Up With The Birds 10

Thanks for posting! So much of that was over my head, but it's pretty cool to get a look at the part of the recording process we never really hear about.

1. VLV 2. AROBTTH 3. Parachutes 4. MX 5. X&Y

This review is pretty much spot-on and is one of the most thorough we've seen, although the score is a little lower than I'd expect. I wholeheartedly disagree with the assessment of Paradise (except lyrically), but otherwise I found myself nodding my head. The common thread I'm picking up in the most negative reviews is not one steeped in hate, but instead in disappointment. This review is hardly "hating" on Coldplay. Rather it's expressing the big thud this album makes in comparison with the huge strides made on VLV.