Long Live Life!
It was easy to write off Coldplay’s early success as serendipity, but they’re grown-ups now, and every song on their fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, announces their musical and global maturity. The decade’s most successful rock band, Coldplay has seen more of the world with each successive sold-out tour, and that influence is the most prominent feature of the new album. Heir apparent to U2’s earnest intensity—the kind that inspires stadium chant-a-longs—Coldplay has gotten that band’s most influential producer, Brian Eno, to guide them on the tightrope walk between commercial success and the critical drubbing they have taken and inflicted upon themselves at times.
Eno’s "prog-rock" approach is immediately evident in the instrumental opening, "Life in Technicolor," which is reprised with vocals on a hidden track at the end. The different time signatures, song suites and exotic instrumentation in songs like "Lovers in Japan" and "Yes" accentuate the experimental nature of the album. Coldplay’s trademark, however, is singer Chris Martin’s spine-tingling vocal drops and flourishes, and they make the title cut "Lost!" and "42" some of the most memorable Coldplay songs ever.
The album cover art and lyrics about soldiers, war, life and death bring a timely perspective to the universal truths in most of their songs. You won’t hear any pop culture references in Coldplay’s music. Their most appealing trait has been the ability to wear their influences on their sleeves while at the same time blasting past those boundaries with their own unique melodies, and there’s a lot of that on Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.
Listen for songs from the album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay all this week on Paul Shugrue’s new music show "Out of the Box" on Hampton Roads public radio 89.5 WHRV Mon. through Thurs. from 7 to 9 p.m., Sat. from 1 to 5 p.m. and on-demand at www.whrv.org/outofthebox.