Picked up the latest Coldplay yesterday. I remember first hearing Coldplay's Parachutes back at school, when those guitar pieces in "Shiver" & "Don't Panic" opening the album just really got into you like some kind of addictive virus you don't want out of you, but you crave more and more and wonder why the songs have to be so short... For me, that's a perfect example of how an album should start!A few albums later we have Viva la Vida, which every time I hear or say the name I think of Chris Martin "Livin la Vida Loca" in those yacht-owner pants he wears. Anyways. My brief analysis after 2 listens: It's good, not as good as I hoped. The first half isn't as appealing as the second half but even then, that half sounds like they tried real hard. "Strawberry Swing" had me thinking of "Strawberry Fields" even before it got going, and though the two sound nothing alike, I kept thinking this was Coldplay trying to write their bridge to their "Sgt. Pepper".
There's a lot of open songs, jamming or instrumental or I don't know what they really qualify as. I'm not the biggest fan of this on any cd, live...eh whatever so long as it's not 15 minutes. I think they did this for Mr. Martin so he can jump around a lot on stage like he likes to do. Maybe that's why he hurt his knee during practice this week...otherwise how do you do injure yourself in band practice?
Overall, if you like Coldplay, get it, I think you'll enjoy it; and it's on sale this week so might as well- $10 at Target. Discussing Coldplay with my friend, he thinks they've peaked (hasn't heard the latest one) and I agree. From Parachutes to Viva la Vida, Coldplay has the ability to write a few songs that are absolutely great, but the rest of the album always leaves me wondering what happened with the rest of the songs...
The album art is pretty unimpressive. The cover is about the only salvageable part of what looks like the Joker and his cronies came through and painted over in that art gallery that one time.
Anyone out there say otherwise?? Do tell...
6 in 10.
4 comments:
Check out the post I put up on Professional Americans.
The album may not be the greatest, but they have an awesome video for the song Violet Hill.
It's labeled "Dancing Politicians" on youtube, and it's all clips of world politicians (Bush, Blair, Yeltsin, Castro, Chavez, Clintons) dancing to the beat of this song.
It's actually kind of creepy the way it was done.
I am upping my rating to a 7.5 in 10. It has grown on me a bit more after a few more listens yesterday. But still, some songs don't really sing to me.
I like the album. I have not been raving about it and handing it to my friends so they can take a listen, dig it and decide to buy it today...but I'm still playing it. I think I was overly anticipating it because I loved Parachutes so much. I just feel like they peaked and now they are coasting with the ignition off. Like usual though, they have a few great songs like Jacob said and I just skip to those and forget the rest. Oh well, it's summer-Viva la Vida.
OK! I finally got my copy! My wife mailed it to me here in Japan...guess I could have picked it up at the store here, but oh well.
I'm listening to it for the second time now, and like most albums these days, I'm liking it better with a second listen.
Initially I thought it was a little too much like U2 (thank you Brian Eno, with your "sonic landscapes")...the song Lovers in Japan could come right off U2's the Unforgettable Fire or even Joshua Tree. That's no knock on U2 really, just that we don't need two U2's or another Bono.
Anyways, on second listen, I do like the whole album, though, like Jake, I favor the second half.
I think Jake said he thought it sounds like they tried too hard...I take that as a comment that it sounds very produced, and I think that's 100% correct. Compared to Parachutes, this thing has been perfected in the studio, which makes sense when you think of who produced it.
To me it shows how much the producers of these albums really affect the music of the bands they working with.
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