An original direction dawning
Written: Feb 18 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Their usual art-pop with some balls on board. And, there's boobs on the cover.
Cons: Not different enough from their previous albums to win over sworn enemies of Chris' voice.
The Bottom Line: I'm now willing to admit that these guys might be more than just quaint piano lines and special ed dance moves. Interesting to see where they go from here.
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| pyfr's Full Review: Viva la Vida [Slipcase] by Coldplay |
OK, I’ve finally joined the Coldplay party. After years of denying that these guys may have anything to say musically, I’m finally conceding that they may indeed hold long-term prospects of remaining in my CD collection. I don’t know if that makes me old, characteristically late to the scene, or both.
It’s not that they’ve ever done anything to turn me off, really. I always liked Clocks, and even played Yellow in a cover band at one point. I suppose that my resistance to modern music kept them largely off my radar, but the energy of their TV performances has intrigued me on a number of occasions, even if Chris Martin often has the physical charm of an autistic kid turned loose on the salsa class. Their recent SNL performances of Lost and Viva La Vida are what finally forced me to invest in their catalogue.
Viva La Vida was the one that grabbed me at first listen. Each Coldplay release has its charming moments, but this is a pretty full plate. After ten years together, they seem to have finally fashioned their soaring U2-Radiohead hybridization experiments into something original. Their abilities are finally catching up with their vision.
What I also like about Viva is that the songs are infused with more energy than I’ve detected in previous albums. The title track is an infectiously pumping tune that I shouldn’t really like, but find impossible to turn away. The swirling and dark Cemeteries Of London and the somber plod of Violet Hill are right up my alley, but getting me interested in a multi-parter like Yes or Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love is no small feat. With drugs no longer a primary form of recreation for me, it takes a strong ensemble to retain my attention through such jolting shifts in mood and tempo…but they do. Even if the jolly nature of something like Strawberry Swing isn’t my normal order, I can appreciate the way in which they build a slidey Hawaiian-sounding guitar doodle into something almost grandiose. The Brits have some uncanny talent for that, which is surely a fair enough consolation prize for growing up in a land without dentistry.
I guess the challenge from here on out for Coldplay is to keep the bombast alive without resorting to yellow wrap-around shades and the overexposure that makes some of my friends puke whenever Bono comes strolling across the screen. I love the direction in which they’re headed and hope that Martin and the others maintain their humility and willingness to push pop further into this refreshing new territory.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pyfr
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Bryan Shultz
Reviews written: 1010
Trusted by: 119 members
About Me:
Back. Sort of.
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![Viva la Vida [Slipcase] by Coldplay](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/aa/b6/95/2046373515-177x150-0-0.jpg)
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