I'm an old school Coldplay fan, but my lifes love is Thom Yorke and Radiohead. Regardless when I heard that Coldplay was finally coming out with new stuff I got excited and celebrated the release of "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" just like you all probably did.
Anyway, long story short; I was blown away. I personally gave the song a 10 on Coldplaying's poll. The reason I enjoyed it so much was primarily Chris Martin's use of vocals. I noticed several reviews that noted how heavily amplified Chris's voice was and it didn't go unnoticed to me. If any of you guys listen to Radiohead you know that Thom Yorke does this better than anyone, some times to the extent that I have no earthly idea what he is saying, but it doesn't matter because Thom uses his voice more as an instrument than as a means of delivering lyrics, and that's what Chris does wonderfully in this new song. It really allows Chris to bring the listener on for the ride and really grasp the song.
Not to take anything away from the rest of the band, but for this song it's Chris's vocals that I think really distinguish "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" from their previous discography. I am excited to hear more and can't wait for the new album.