Post by rachel on Jun 18, 2008 9:11:14 GMT -5
6.17.08
Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
*****
The rumors I heard about this album were innumerable. The album was to be titled “Prospekt.” Timbaland was slated to be the producer. Chris Martin refused to use piano. Nearly a year later, Coldplay’s fourth full length release, named after a painting of artist Frida Kahlo’s, has proven all speculation wrong. Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends is the newest carefully crafted Coldplay masterpiece. It was produced by electronic forefather Brian Eno, best known for his previous work with artists like David Bowie and U2. The album isn’t missing a lick of their infamous piano either. After all, Chris Martin without his piano would be like a church without its bell.
The album opens with the track “Life In Technicolor.” A short but strongly U2 sounding instrumental, it screams “Hi, I’m the new Coldplay album and I’m about to blow your mind.” To follow is the chilling song “Cemeteries of London.” This is the first of the album to expo Coldplay’s remarkable ability to connect the sound of their music so perfectly to the theme of the song. Lyrics like “So we rode down to the river where the Victorian ghosts pray,” tell the story of nights in haunted streets of London. The sound of heartbeat patterned percussion, hand clapping and Halloween-theme-like piano give the unmistakable feel of fitting into the thrilling experience the song itself describes.
The next track, “Lost,” includes a fragment of Kanye influence after Martin’s recent collaboration with the hip-hop king on his album “Graduation.” Supported by drummer Will Champion, this track contains a very similar beat to Graduation’s “Homecoming,” and is a guaranteed head-bobber.
Skipping down to “Lovers In Japan,” the band once again connects tone and theme with a Japanese style sound closely fitted to its title and its lyrics “Tonight, maybe we’re gonna run / Dreaming of the Osaka sun.”
Halfway through the album we arrive at the band’s newest single and co-title track “Viva La Vida.” A set of beautifully arranged string instruments by Davide Rossi could pass “Viva La Vida” off as an epic movie score composed by John Williams. As this song quickly gains popularity from its recent feature on the colorful iTunes commercial, it stands as the album’s most powerful.
The album ends with fellow co-title track “Death And All His Friends.” The song begins with almost boring, soft vocals by Chris Martin over a simply laid piano melody. Slowly the music progresses, the beat builds. Finally, Jonny Bucklands lead guitar kicks in soon followed by the deep growing bass of Guy Berryman. Then we get to the moment that Coldplay creates best. The crescendo. Easily one of the world’s top three at creating these musical explosions, what we see in this track is something Coldplay has been creating since day one (i.e. “Amsterdam,” “Swallowed In The Sea,” and most notably “Fix You”). In this song we get one of their best yet, with harmonized vocals belting the lyrics “I don’t want to follow death and all of his friends.” Placed strategically as the albums sign-off, “Death And All His Friends” nearly closes this phenomenal production with a fireworks show. Nearly, because as soon as the blast ceases, “Death And All His Friends” ends right where the opener, “Life In Technicolor” began, this time with the closing vocals “And in the end we lie awake / And we dream of making our escape,” as the music fades.
This album can simply not be denied. Being one of the world’s most anticipated albums of the past couple years, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends is hands down Coldplay’s best album to date. From start to finish the power of their instruments, lyrics, and vocals are exactly what were to be expected and much, much more. Viva La Vida is powerful, beautiful, and inspiring. Viva La Coldplay!
Review by Meghan Kearney
Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
*****
The rumors I heard about this album were innumerable. The album was to be titled “Prospekt.” Timbaland was slated to be the producer. Chris Martin refused to use piano. Nearly a year later, Coldplay’s fourth full length release, named after a painting of artist Frida Kahlo’s, has proven all speculation wrong. Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends is the newest carefully crafted Coldplay masterpiece. It was produced by electronic forefather Brian Eno, best known for his previous work with artists like David Bowie and U2. The album isn’t missing a lick of their infamous piano either. After all, Chris Martin without his piano would be like a church without its bell.
The album opens with the track “Life In Technicolor.” A short but strongly U2 sounding instrumental, it screams “Hi, I’m the new Coldplay album and I’m about to blow your mind.” To follow is the chilling song “Cemeteries of London.” This is the first of the album to expo Coldplay’s remarkable ability to connect the sound of their music so perfectly to the theme of the song. Lyrics like “So we rode down to the river where the Victorian ghosts pray,” tell the story of nights in haunted streets of London. The sound of heartbeat patterned percussion, hand clapping and Halloween-theme-like piano give the unmistakable feel of fitting into the thrilling experience the song itself describes.
The next track, “Lost,” includes a fragment of Kanye influence after Martin’s recent collaboration with the hip-hop king on his album “Graduation.” Supported by drummer Will Champion, this track contains a very similar beat to Graduation’s “Homecoming,” and is a guaranteed head-bobber.
Skipping down to “Lovers In Japan,” the band once again connects tone and theme with a Japanese style sound closely fitted to its title and its lyrics “Tonight, maybe we’re gonna run / Dreaming of the Osaka sun.”
Halfway through the album we arrive at the band’s newest single and co-title track “Viva La Vida.” A set of beautifully arranged string instruments by Davide Rossi could pass “Viva La Vida” off as an epic movie score composed by John Williams. As this song quickly gains popularity from its recent feature on the colorful iTunes commercial, it stands as the album’s most powerful.
The album ends with fellow co-title track “Death And All His Friends.” The song begins with almost boring, soft vocals by Chris Martin over a simply laid piano melody. Slowly the music progresses, the beat builds. Finally, Jonny Bucklands lead guitar kicks in soon followed by the deep growing bass of Guy Berryman. Then we get to the moment that Coldplay creates best. The crescendo. Easily one of the world’s top three at creating these musical explosions, what we see in this track is something Coldplay has been creating since day one (i.e. “Amsterdam,” “Swallowed In The Sea,” and most notably “Fix You”). In this song we get one of their best yet, with harmonized vocals belting the lyrics “I don’t want to follow death and all of his friends.” Placed strategically as the albums sign-off, “Death And All His Friends” nearly closes this phenomenal production with a fireworks show. Nearly, because as soon as the blast ceases, “Death And All His Friends” ends right where the opener, “Life In Technicolor” began, this time with the closing vocals “And in the end we lie awake / And we dream of making our escape,” as the music fades.
This album can simply not be denied. Being one of the world’s most anticipated albums of the past couple years, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends is hands down Coldplay’s best album to date. From start to finish the power of their instruments, lyrics, and vocals are exactly what were to be expected and much, much more. Viva La Vida is powerful, beautiful, and inspiring. Viva La Coldplay!
Review by Meghan Kearney