Death and all his friends

I’ve been listening to Coldplay’s new album Viva La Vida (Or Death And All His Friends).

When Coldplay burst on the scene in 2000 I wasn’t particularly into them, despite acknowledging the unmitigated loveliness of “Yellow”. In 2001, in my first year of college, a couple of friends were really looking forward to Parachutes, and the album ended up on heavy rotation in M4. My interest in the band grew just as my friends’ interest seemed to drop. A Rush of Blood to the Head was a quietly brilliant little album, and I remember hearing a perfect description of “The Scientist” — an “unashamedly cool love song” .

I got a friend of mine in Australia to burn 2005’s X&Y onto a CD-ROM for me. (Remember CD-ROMs?) I know people who hated it. I quite liked it, although I now admit there are a few duds on it.

I think Coldplay is a band that needs a bit of faith. You need to forgive the mediocre lyrics and take Chris Martin at face value. He’s not cool. He’s unlikely to become addicted to anything stronger than tea. He’s educated, polite, vague, and romantic. And I don’t have a problem with any of those things (how could I?). And of course, he has an extraordinary voice, and a knack for finding pretty little tunes and hooks.

You may have guessed by now that I really like the new album. It’s better that X&Y, but continues down a trajectory started on that album. I remember thinking: what if the next album has more songs like “Twisted Logic”? Viva La Vida is not quite that, but occasionally it goes into a dark corner (for Coldplay), while maintaining a sense of warmth and optimism. It’s infectious.

The reviews in the media are all pretty much the same. Don’t read them. They mention Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, U2, and the fact that X&Y sold 10 million records. Critics seemed too bothered by Coldplay’s success to actually listen to the album. Granted, the lyrics are less than profound, and a “big step” for Coldplay may not seem like a whole lot by the standards of, say, Radiohead, but hey….it’s Coldplay we’re talking about. It’s that kid walking along a beach in slow motion, singing sweet nothings about the colour yellow. He means well. And he and his bandmates have managed to find a wonderful balance between newness and that clean classicist Coldplay sound millions of people have come to know and love. There are watery, burbling chords and arpeggios, snappy riffs, dramatic string sections, and even some African guitars thrown into the mix. There’s excitement, and sparkle. Download the album, and listen to it a few times. Listen to it loud.

Here are a few gems from the album (other than the current singles, which are pretty good too).

Lovers in Japan

Strawberry Swing