Coldplay - Viva la Vida
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Music Reviews of Viva la Vida
Music Review: Viva El Coldplay
Rating: 4 Stars
Coldplay, probably known for its mellow tunes, is going revolutionary with its new album, "Viva La Vida". Now, it is revolutionary for Coldplay as a music group but it is not revolutionary in the music world. The band that comes to my mind is the Beatles in 1960s which was truly revolutionary. In fact, one of the songs ("Violet Hill") from this album resonate a similar tune to a Beatles' song.
The title song, "Viva La Vida", has some interesting lyrics about a once powerful ruler who abuses his power. The people naturally rebel and there you have the theme of the song. Some of the imagery in the lyrics is quite vivid and powerful in the lines below.
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever wanna be king
The last couple lines in the above verse are probably the most interesting of the entire song. It makes reference to the façade of empowerment as just being a stage performance being judged by its people in the audience. It's a bit conflicting to pity the ruler and also support the revolutionaries. But, Chris Martin probably wanted to portray the leader as "one of us" who has the bad case of "egotism" from these lyrics below.
I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
The rest of the album has some really cool songs. In fact, the opening song ("Life in Technicolor") is mostly acoustical music. The first time anyone hears this will shock almost everyone because you waiting for Martin to gently coo out the lyrics. It's a big tease but the melody makes up for it. As always, the music is lush with some interesting instruments like violins and harpsichord. "Yes" has the best introduction with violins drawing you it and then disappearing. Next, the harpsichord chimes to make for a delicious tune for your ears. Other favorites are "Lovers in Japan" and "Violet Hill". The music video just came out for "Violet Hill" which is as good as any other band video. It's sad when you think about 80's videos being revolutionary with Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Peter Gabriel. Oh well, this new Coldplay album is revolutionary in its own way. It's a change in Coldplay's repertoire which is refreshing.
Music Review: The "Sgt. Pepper" of Coldplay albums
Rating: 4 Stars
I waited a couple of weeks to review this album, because it really requires of a bit of time to sink in. Coldplay has always been a little artsy, but the band's previous two albums were much more pop-oriented than this one. I've always been impressed with Coldplay's ability to evolve on each album, and on "Viva La Vida" I think they've done it more than ever before.
The album begins with "Life In Technicolor," and it's an immediate breath of fresh air with all the different sounds going on. I really love this track, but sadly it's merely an intro without any vocals and it's over in about 2 minutes. It's still a great song, I just wish it lasted longer and had some singing. Then we have "Cemeteries Of London," which is kind of a spacey and melancholy song. I didn't think much of it at first, but now I really like it. "Lost" is a pretty basic tune, but something about the percussion fires it up in just the right way to make it really grab you. "42" is great because of all the tempo-changes. It begins slow and quiet with singing and a piano, and sounds an awful lot like something from the Parachutes album. Then it picks up slightly towards the middle, and by the end of the song it takes on an incredibly catchy and much quicker beat. "Yes" is an ok song, but it's really the unlisted song after it (Chinese Sleep Chant) that stood out as a highlight on the album. "Viva La Vida" (the song) is the same song that was heard in television commercials for the album, and it stands out as sounding the most like their previous material. Still, like the rest of the album, this song has a few non-traditional tricks up it's sleeve. It doesn't feature any obvious guitar or piano, it's mostly an orchestral arrangement and a couple of other instruments I'm not even familiar with. The album's first single, "Violet Hill," features dark pounding drums and a slightly gloomy piano. It's kind of a strange choice for a single, but it's ability to get stuck in your head makes sense. I have to say that every song on here is quite good, but I feel the album ends a little prematurely, even with 2 unlisted songs thrown into the middle of the album. But this album is all about experimenting and breaking new ground, and unlike past Coldplay albums, it seems to focus more on instrumentation than singing. It's definitely one of the best of 2008 so far!
Music Review: Vida or Death
Rating: 4 Stars
It's been eight years since I bought a Coldplay album. My first was their debut, 'Parachutes'. Since then, I skipped 'A Rush of Blood to the Head' even though I've already heard the majority of the songs from either TV or radio. It was after 'A Rush of Blood' that Coldplay became a huge success crossing over into the mainstream while still managing to please fans of the indie crowd. I skipped 'XY' too when I had heard some valley girl say that Coldplay was her favorite band. After that I became quite anti-Coldplay and just listed them as sell-outs. My snobbiness got the best of me then, and I am proud to say that I have reunited with Coldplay via 'Viva La Vida'.
I'm reading a lot of review saying that this album is such a departure. I have to somewhat disagree. Besides the first instramental intro track, the rest of 'Vida' or 'Death' is pretty much what you'd expect from Coldplay. The music is beautiful and opulent and with only a mere nine tracks to its name, that right there is saying a lot. '42' is a great example. It's starts off soft and slow, "Those who are dead are not dead. They're just living in my head." and then it builds up to a grandiose spectacle with, "You thought you might be a ghost! You didn't get to heaven but you made it close." 'Lost!' is also a big track that will fill any large arena wonderfully. Both songs are brilliantly realized and initiated.
However, it was the the cinematic luminosity of 'Viva La Vida' that really grabbed my attention. I'm a sucker for orchestrated songs, and when they are as good as this one is, I'm in heaven which is what this song sounds like, pure heaven. It's simply ravishing!
Other key songs that add to the album's cohesiveness are 'Lovers in Japan' and 'Yes' though the album as a whole really fits nicely together.
Those who might expect something different (experimental) or perhaps even revolutionary just by glancing at the cover art (great cover by the way), may be disapointed. The album's not at all as violent as it's cover suggests rather it likely suggests a combination of worldly art. However, 'Viva La Vida' isn't really a far-fetched/experimental concept compared to Coldplay's previous albums. It's still a good album that does paint a pretty picture.
Music Review: Coldplay's Most Cohesive Album Yet
Rating: 4 Stars
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is certainly the most cohesive album Coldplay has released thus far. You can pop the CD in or pull the album up on your iPod and simply listen to it from start to finish. There isn't a bad song on the album and there are a few that stand out, but only in that you can't help but sing along or do an instant replay of that really great part.
Most popular music artists don't have the ability to create an album as a unified piece of art, where each song flows into the next and themes are shared throughout, much like a symphony or oratorio does. Most popular music albums are really just a compilation of singles. Occasionally one stands out like many of the Beatles later albums and every Radiohead album since Kid A to name a few. I wouldn't compare this album to "Sgt. Pepper" or "Kid A" (those were easily 5-stars), but Viva La Vida is an excellent album and definitely a unified piece of art. Even the first song, "Life In Technicolor" sounds like an overture for the album.
What's missing from Viva La Vida? There's no song that blows me away and makes me want to turn it on repeat. Every one of their previous albums has one or two songs that I just can't get enough of, and while I may have a couple songs I especially like on Viva La Vida, none of them make me play them over and over and over again. Maybe that's a good thing...spreading the wealth across the whole album instead of blowing it on one or two songs. But nonetheless, I was hoping for another "Don't Panic", "Yellow", "Trouble", "The Scientist", "Clocks", or "Fix You".
Coldplay albums in order of greatness:
1. Parachutes
2. A Rush of Blood To The Head
3. (very close 3rd) Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
4. X&Y
While this album is brilliantly produced and I love its cohesiveness, I must say I still wish they would go back to their roots and give us another lightly produced album with the honesty and raw quality of Parachutes. Just a couple guys with their guitars, drums and a keyboard spilling their hearts out and screw all the production and polishing of a record company. Until they can do that, I don't think they'll ever make an album better than Parachutes.
Music Review: A production masterpiece
Rating: 4 Stars
I have never been a Coldplay fan. Their popularity baffled me: did it emerge from the simplistic songwriting, the channeling of U2 and Radiohead's accessibility, or Chris Martin's looks? I never got it. So when I semi-accidentally stumbled into Viva la Vida, not only was I surprised I gave it a chance but even more so that I enjoyed it.
Coldplay has readily admitted to taking the best bits of their influences. This record, if it can be considered the experimental one, manages to walk the line of accessibility and pop. Because of that, make no mistake: This is a producers record. Brian Eno's influence escalates this record to new heights. Eno's work for Paul Simon, U2, Talking Heads, and even Microsoft has given him a legacy of not only making "sounds" that much better but also pushing a band's boundaries.
To that extent, the arrangements on the record take the standard Coldplay songwriting and engulf them with a sheen that makes them shine on the record as much as they would live. Echoed vocals over a phased guitar and a huge organ sound make "Lost!" that much stronger of a track. Instrumental "Life in Technicolor" is an experimentation into already discovered waters, but the discovery here is yet another way to shake an arena. Inadvertent single "Viva la Vida," with guest production by Markus Dravs, is carried by the harmonizing strings that keep Martin's now-lowered register incredibly palatable. Conjuring the spirit of Peter Gabriel, "Strawberry Swing" flings a nonsensical guitar line into a compelling drum rhythm and strings, creating one of the highlights of the record. While these are just the larger examples, Eno's touch all over the record challenges the listener to really engulf themselves into the full spectrum of the record.
I can't say this record made me a full Coldplay fan, but I will readily admit I enjoy this record more than expected and will keep on listening to it. There is simply too much in it, an economy of sound that I never expected or thought I'd hear. But this record has it; we should enjoy it accordingly. While Coldplay can be deemed "heavy soft rock," this record can boast much more than heavy, soft, or rock could ever quantify. Recommended.