Coldplay - ' Viva la Vida or Death and All his Friends '
(Capitol, 2008)
Rating: 9

Once upon a time back in 1999 when I was but a wee Anglophile living in a land far away. I ran to my local Borders shop to pick up a copy of the latest issue of Melody Maker (R.I.P.) This was a monthly ritual of mine, you see, I go to Borders and buy the new import issues of both Melody Maker as well AS Q and the NME so I could be kept abreast of all things going on across the pond. I never cared for much of what was going on Stateside so these magazines were my outlets, my opportunities to at least pretend I was living in Manchester, Liverpool or Leeds. Someplace cool. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a brief look into my origins of being a hipster when it comes to all things musical. In other words, this was the era of my transformation from music fan extraordinaire to music geek. At any rate, on one fateful day I pick up the latest copies of my holy texts and find an empty table so I can sit down and pore through each and every page. I began with the Melody Maker and was flipping through the pages. Sifting through stories about bands like Idlewild, Terris, Terrorvision and Saint Etienne and the like. It felt great to read music magazine that actually talked about music! Towards the center of the issue, there was a mention of a little band out of London that had formed in college and they were starting to make some hay and their sound was slightly reminiscent of such bands like Radiohead and Travis. The Radiohead comparison struck me immediately as I adore everything that is Radiohead. I was less enthusiastic about the Travis one as I always thought that band was pure shite and were nothing more than a bunch of followers. That opinion hasn't changed to the present day but I digress. The band had an EP out called “Brothers & Sisters” that showed great promise. I became interested right away and went home to download the songs off the EP and hang their poster up on my wall. Once home, I logged onto my trusty peer to peer client, the name shall remain nameless for your narcs out there! Little did I know then that this band would go on to become one of the most popular and successful British acts in recent times. You know this bands as Coldplay. (Note: Yes, kids, I know downloading is bad but what other alternative would you suggest when the EP isn't available commercially and would remain that way until 2006?)

From the humble beginnings of the first EP on to the whiplash success of the debut single, “Yellow”, the mega-platinum success of the second record, “A Rush Of Blood To The Head and the third, “X & Y”, a well publicised marriage to one of Hollywood's most overrated actresses and two of the worst names you can possibly give your children to now, Coldplay has become arguably England's most successful export this side of “Pop Idol”. After almost three full years since the release of “X & Y”, the band have returned with perhaps their most ambitious record to date, “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends”. The thin line seperating pretense and ambition is very tough to navigate and starting with the title of the record alone, it becomes evident that the band tends to veer towards both sides throughout the record. Call me biased as I take personal satisfaction in seeing the growth of the band from indie phenomenons to becoming perhaps the next great arena band but I dare say this just may be the best band's best record yet. No doubt by now you've all been bludgeoned to death with seeing the Ipod advert on television featuring the band performing one of the tracks from the record, a sweet little ditty entitled, “Viva La Vida”.  The song which just so happens to be the next single taken from the record following the current number one single, “Violet Hill”.  If you haven't, you're doing a pretty good of avoiding all forms of civilisation under that rock. If you're not one of those people, you no doubt can tell a difference in the band's sound, that difference is brought about by the golden touch of one Brian Eno a.k.a the God of all producers.

What Eno brought to the band's sound on “VLV” is evident in comparison with the preceding records. Here the songs sound fuller realised. There are no dead spaces to be heard due to the ambient synth flourishes that are an Eno trademark. Simply put, there's a place for everything and everything with Eno is most definitely in its place. With all this going for the band, does the additional ornamentation match the ambition of the band to be the next Radiohead or U2? Yes, it does. Does it work as far as taking the band to the next level creatively. Well, that's not so easy to answer. From a musical standpoint, there is a noticeable evolution in the band's sound. While most of the kudos will be thrown Eno's way, credit must also be given to the band. Jonny Buckland shines throughout the record doing his best Edge impression to great effect. This record definitely is not for the rockers out there but then it's fair to say Coldplay really isn't that type of band to begin with. In past records where Chris Martin's piano would dominate the melody of the songs, that's been replaced by the use of organs and synths to create texture and space. The rhythm section a.k.a Guy Berryman on bass and Will Champion on drums are champs on this record acting as the bedrock behind the songs. This leaves us with the most intriguing factor of the band: Chris Martin. To me, he's always been the weak link of the band but that's not really a knock. The band behind is so solid that oftentimes you really notice the main criticisms against Martin and that's usually his lyrics. They tend to be childish, rather than reach the intended mark of displaying a childlike innocence. On “Viva”, Martin appears to have honed in on what he's looking to convey as the record conjures up themes such as personal salvation (Viva La Vida, Lost), religion (Cemeteries of London). It's a more mature and focused Chris Martin we hear on “Viva” which helps elevate the record as a whole.

Is this record any good? Yes, actually. Quite good. The problem here is that Coldplay is known as a band that wears their influences on their sleeves. Many interviews you come across will have Martin extolling the virtues of Thom Yorke and Bono endlessly. You hear traces of both bands throughout the Coldplay canon and that doesn't stop here. In fact, a case could be made by the recruiting of Brian Eno, this was Coldplay's attempt to write their version of “The Joshua Tree”. Some of these themes are similar and the overall vibe of the record is as well. Yet as often is the case with Coldplay, they fall short.As good a band as they are, they always seem to come across as a very calculating band which leaves you wanting more and feeling like you haven't heard the “real” Coldplay and you're hearing a copy of a copy of “The Unforgettable Fire” or “The Bends”.  So with “Viva La Vida” instead of “The Joshua Tree”, they end up with their “Achtung Baby”. Not too shabby.

RIYL: “Achtung Baby” era U2

Highlights:
“Lost”
“Violet Hill”
“Cemeteries Of London”