Coldplay - Viva la Vida
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Free Music Notes for Viva la Vida
Free Music Review: A perfect musical journey
Hit: 5 Stars
A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD is without question one of the best albums of this decade. PARACHUTES was also quite good. Coldplay made 2 great albums and that's why they sold a lot of CD's, picked up a few Grammy's and developed a huge following. X&Y was a big seller with a following huge tour but mostly on the strength of Coldplay's history more so than X&Y which was a bland album. Despite huge sales Coldplay knew this and decided to change their dirction a bit. Brain Eno is the go-to guy for that. Producer of U2's gear shifts THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE and ACHTUNG BABY Eno knew what to do. Use guitars sparingly but powerfully, violins become a primary tool along with all types of keyboards, songs go in one direction then zig-zag in another. Nobody will confuse Coldplay's lyrical content with THE JOSHUA TREE but Eno's touch elevates the Coldplay sound to that level. Eno may have drawn the blueprint but Coldplay had to carry out the plan and they do so very well. VIVA LA VIDA is a unique piece of music. The album is bigger than Coldplay. Whether you like Coldplay or not doesn't matter. VIVA LA VIDA is the band name here. These songs dazzle. It's hard to write a review of each song - they keep growing with every listen. I'll say this, VIVA LA VIDA is one heckuva tune...arena rock without a guitar and limited drums - now thats unique! This is not an MP3 album, it must be listened to in sequence. LOST! is stunning. LOVERS IN JAPAN, STRAWBERRY SWING, VIOLET HILL, each song becomes an epic single the more you listen to it. You can't know how much you like the song on one listen. At least I couldn't. These tunes are so off-the-wall, several listens bring it home. It will be interesting to see if Coldplay can bring this unique sound to the rock arena. U2 did that well. If Coldplay can pull it off in concert they are likely elevated to superband status. At any rate, VIVA is stunning, unique and a perfect musical journey.Free Music Review: Immense
Hit: 5 Stars
When Coldplay's X&Y came out, it aspired to a grandeur that their previous two albums had not had, but in the process lost the intimacy that made Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head so powerful.
With the release of "Viva La Vida," X&Y begins to look like a transitional step. The new album builds on the sonic confidence of its predecessor, and adds more complex and interesting instrumentation. In part by reclaiming the first person for many of his lyrics, Chris Martin re-asserts the personal element that had gone missing in the third album. In fact, lyrically, he seems to be reaching for something more challenging than ever; the album is rife with references to the spiritual ("I saw God come in my garden, but I don't know what He said / for my heart it wasn't open") and enigmatic-but-important-sounding turns of phrase ("I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing..."). And yet, despite these seemingly weighty contemplations, the album never loses its lightness; as soon as you know the words it's impossible not to sing along.
The complex sound and lyrical richness make "Viva La Vida" highly rewarding on repeated listens. With this album, Coldplay have taken a long stride toward a musical maturity they could easily have avoided, resting on their laurels and turning out album after album of pitch-perfect pop anthems. The fact that this album retains an unmistakably "Coldplay" sound while advancing its execution is exciting; it suggests that in future, the band will continue to go fearlessly forward.
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Free Music Review: Viva la Coldplay, indeed...
Hit: 5 Stars
Whereas X&Y took literally months for me to really appreciate (and I still think it's just "ok"), this album only took a few listens, and each new listen is decisively rewarded. Different and varied enough to challenge the ear, yet familiar and accessible enough to be just beautiful. On some level, I believe you can say that about all four Coldplay albums, as they all have their own unique sound without betraying Coldplay's successful brand of musicality.
All the tracks are great (really), but here are my favorites:
"Lost!" (Not "Lost?" as some people seem to prefer. I think the percussion on the album version works wonders, personally. Grabs your attention from the start.)
"Lovers in Japan" (Perhaps the most "U2-sounding" track on the album. It soars!)
"Strawberry Swing" (The bright multi-layered guitar sound and stirring bass-line are stunning! A true song for summer.)
and "Death and All His Friends" (On par with "Amsterdam," with it's soft piano beginning, then rocking into an anthem that's sure to blow the house down in concert and have everyone singing at the top of their lungs! Can't wait.)
The only thing I found at all annoying about this album were the "double-tracks," as I would call them. Essentially, putting two (very different) songs on the same track. This happens several times on the album, and I found it to be unnecessary, as a whole. Sometimes it works ("Lovers in Japan"), sometimes not ("Yes", "Death and All His Friends"). They would have been better off just giving the songs separate track numbers! But that's a small complaint on my part.
I love this album, to put it simply. After listening to it almost non-stop for the last week, it still manages to sound fresh and invigorating. Welcome back, Coldplay!
Free Music Review: Viva la Vida.....a story set in music
Hit: 5 Stars
I just listened to Viva la Vida 3 times in a row.....I immedatley LOVED it. I think it's definatley one of the best albums I have heard in a long, long time.
The more I listened to it, the more I noticed the album -start to finish- tells a story.
It starts off as a time of innocence and happiness, a time when the world is beautiful (Life in Technicolor), however, the memory of wars and turmoil past still resinate in everyone's minds, as they remember the dead (Cemetaries of London), then slowly the story changes and becomes darkened as another war breaks out, and yet again soldiers are bravely fighting, all the while thinking of their dead commrades, the injustices and brutality of war and lost loves (Lost, 42, Lovers in Japan).
Finally a revolution comes and the war is won (Yes, Viva la Vida), however, after war comes dreary aftermath, and re-building, and the harsh realities of what war can bring (Violet Hill).
The final two songs are messages of love, survival and people sort of making a pact that they don't want go to war ever again (Strawberry Swing, Death and all his Friends) .
The album ends with the same instrumental music as the beginning...suggesting the cycle of peace and war goes on and on.
I dont know if they are speaking aboutt the Iraq war, French Revolution, WW2 (or just war in general) but it's DEFINATLEY got a hold on me,
I think this is a superb album, Coldplay has really thrown every ounce of what they have spiritually, emotionally, and musically into Viva La Vida to create more than just an album with just random songs...the songs here interlace with one another, bleed into each other, weaving a story together and taking the listener along for the ride.
Free Music Review: A different coldplay but Death and All His Friends?
Hit: 5 Stars
This much-anticipated 4th album departs from the usual Coldplay, and has more fire in it, more lust, more rock, better lyrics....but is still a little soft!
I was expecting something stronger, more anthematic. That said, there are some great tracks. Brian Eno has added a more U2 rock sound. There are some classic Coldplay tracks like "42", an emotive piano melody. "Lovers in Japan" is the most familiar Coldplay track, and although familiar territory, it is perhaps the weakest of the album.
"Yes" is a classic sturdier coldplay, more masculine, and perhaps heavily influenced by Eno. Definitely one of my favourites on this album, it incorporates African and Latin elements with the best of Coldplay.
"Viva la Vida" the title track is an anthematic track which still doesn't go far enough to explain its title, or the title of the album for that matter. What is the link to Frieda Kahlo exactly? This should get decent
playing time on the radio, as it's quite catchy, despite the unusual lyric.
"Violet Hill" will probably get the most radio time, it's arguably the strongest track in the album, combining interesting lyrics, with passionate, nuanced arrangement, and a fresh break from previous coldplay hits.
Viva la Vida is darker and more emotive than previous work. At times there is more passion, and a harder edge. I would still like to see an even darker side to the band. The title is "Death and All His Friends" after all! I feel a bit cheated by the album not delivering on the title.
Overall:
Brilliant, yes.
Mainstream, partly.
Dark, no.
Poignant, yes.
Self-conscious, yes.
Worth owning, definitely.