It’s been eight weeks and Coldplay’s album ‘Viva la Vida’ or ‘Death and All His Friends’ (also simply known as ‘Viva la Vida’) their fourth studio album is currently at no. 2 in the UK Charts. The album has been the number-one-selling album in 36, yes, 36 countries around the world! In the United States, this album has sold 316,000 copies in its first day (some American artists can barely do this in a week, for example American pop rock singer-songwriter Ashlee Simpson’s last cd ‘Bittersweet World’ sold only 47,000 copies in its first week). These sales are simply astonishing, for a UK band. This is living proof that it is possible for UK artists to crack America!!
Before I purchased ‘Viva La Vida’, I did hear that this album was a drastic break from Coldplay’s usual style. However, after listening to this album, I can confirm that while it has been altered stylistically from their previous albums, it still retains that unique, raw Coldplay element, which warmed the world to them initially. The only criticism is that the album does seem to have a slightly more commercial edge to it, compared to their previous three albums, and this could be a flaw that critics use to attack the band, as they have always been renowned for their unique/alternative sound. Nonetheless, the album opens with the track ‘Life in a Technicolor’, which is an instrumental, and then it breaks into the song ‘Viva La Vida’, which is an upbeat and uplifting song. This amazing track allows you to transcend into another world, and the background vocals are simply amazing. For me this song made the album, and is one that you could listen to over and over again, (and each time enjoying it more than the last). The rest of the album for me is full of great songs, that all have the potential to be released as independent singles (There are no second-rate tracks here!). I would rate this album 4 out of 5 stars.
Comebacks can be extremely hard to pull off as fans are kept waiting yet musicians do not seem to be able to deliver. Coldplay fans will relish ‘Viva La Vida’, and I genuinely believe the band will pick up new fans with this album! Overall this gets thumbs up without a single doubt.
Darren Shoneye
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Number 1 // Aug 8, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Makes me want to listen to it! I think they have a wicked vibe…
2 oliverx12 // Aug 8, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Personally their best album was their first
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