Few bands that are currently popular have been quite as polarizing as the British rockers Coldplay. On the one hand, they have sold millions of albums all around the world; however, on the other hand, critics have long claimed that something is missing from each of their three recent popular albums, Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and X & Y - something truly substantial and truly transcendent. The knock is, sometimes, that their songs are too sentimental, or that lead singer Chris Martin is trying too hard vocally, or that his lyrics are far from poetic, or even good. That their hit songs are soaring and beautiful pop anthems is a truth rarely overlooked by critics, but a fact that seems to have done little in the way of convincing the harshest of critics to actually take them seriously. That the band has become the global sensation they are has not been lost on the indie hipsters who might otherwise appreciate their considerable, though rarely stretched talents. Indeed, despite their sometimes obvious shortcomings, Martin and Co. are talented musicians and it is no small thing that their canon has heretofore attracted such a wide and varying audience.

So, on one end of the spectrum are the millions of fans who flock to Best Buy to purchase the newest album the day it hits stores (….. which, come to think of it, was exactly what I did…), who flock to arenas and stadiums across the world to scream their brains out, and who vote for songs like “Speed of Sound” to be on the various weekly top whatevers. On the other end of that same spectrum are the plethora of “clever” and uniquely attired hipsters who spend far too much time searching for music their friends have never heard of. Thank God for the world wide web. What would they do without Pitchfork? The two ends of the spectrum don’t care much for the other’s music taste. The complications are often unalterable, the conflicts unavoidable. Somewhere in the middle of this grand spectrum are the critics, each playing to one side or the other. I often find it all quite comical, if not wearying. Can’t we agree that good music is good music or bad music is bad music or mediocre music is mediocre music? Well, no probably not, and in the end there’s beauty in that.

And now we’ve come to it. Let the two sides be further divided, let them raise their pitchforks and battle axes, let each side wield their own preferred magazine subscription, let them each hurl their sensationalized and overwrought, under thought, opinions across the chasm. For finally, a new Coldplay album is available!

But hipsters - you who are driving the old Volkswagons and Volvos adorned with the bumper stickers that say “vote Ron Paul,” and who have the Wilco catalog on repeat - hipsters, beware. You might find yourselves pleasantly surprised! This time around, you’ll discover a brand new Coldplay.

The new album, entitled Viva la Vida, hit stores on June 17th and apparently was pre-ordered through itunes more than any album by any artist to date, a testament to their wide spread and fairly passionate fan base. I suspect that many listeners were surprised by what they heard. You see, it’s not so much that Coldplay has ditched their old sound - the piano driven sound with the soaring guitars and epic anthems remain- but rather that they have stretched themselves, challenged themselves, and, in a sense, moved on to a more bold, more intricate, more heartfelt sound. Viva la Vida is undeniably Coldplay, but it is also undeniably a better, more courageous Coldplay. Not content to simply re-create their old vision, as they have in the past, they have enhanced their vision and pursued a more transcendent, more meaningful work of art.

Full of imaginative and sometimes surprising images, lyrically the album seems to be about the various complications of people experiencing similar things from differing perspectives, most notably experiencing violence and war, and the interplay of love and hate. Take, for example, the deposed king in the title track through whose person Martin sings “I used to rule the world/seas would rise when I gave the word/now in the morning I sweep alone/sweep the streets I used to own” and the image of a young couple trying to carve out time together as round about them the world falls apart. But more than that Viva la Vida is about the interplay of classes: all the hatred and loathing and violence and passion and jealously, and yes, from to time, even forgiveness. It is about beauty and God and death and sometimes even hope. And while Martin’s lyrics aren’t Dylan’s or Bono’s they are marked by a distinct, and newfound, sense of thoughtfulness and adventure, as if, he is finally gazing outwordly, all around him, and he is in a state of melancholy awe of what he sees - as if he is seeing the world and life and all its complexities with new eyes, with a fresh perspective, a perspective not tainted by his own reflection: most of the melodrama usually so inherent in Coldplay’s music is nowhere to be found.

Musically, Martin and Co., with the considerable aide of famous “art-rock” producer Brian Eno (who has notably worked with U2), have created a meditative and moody conglomeration of the old Coldplay elements (i.e., those famous weeping guitars riffs and overwrought, though pretty piano recitals), with the mysterious sounds of various types of world music, a unique infusion of Radiohead-like strings, and a more vocally daring Chris Martin.

The album’s opening track, the instrumental “Life in Technicolor,” is a grand introduction of sorts, a beautiful invitation to something completely new, an assurance that this album is something completely different; as if, instead of simply compiling a collection of songs, Coldplay wanted to tell a story or invite their listeners on a journey. Appropriately, its the perfect driving song, the kind of song that sounds amazing on an airplane at night, or even on a quiet ample through your neighborhood or a nearby park. It’s mysterious yet inviting, energetic but well paced: its the perfect first track for this album. From here the album soars with nary a misstep.

As one might expect on an Eno produced album by a band directly descended from the Brit quartet, the similarities to U2 abound, especially in “Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love” and “Strawberry Swing,” each which could settle quite easily into the lap of any of U2’s best albums. I assure you, however, that their quality does not suffer for that: the former is one of the best songs on the album. On most of the other tracks the genre or similarities are not so easily pinned down. One song in particular, “42″, sounds a little bit like current indie community darlings The Arcade Fire. It begins as mostly typical Coldplay fare but soon shifts into a beautiful, complicated and epic anthem of sorts; though not the stadium anthems Coldplay’s fans are so familiar with.

The second track “Cemeteries of London,” is wonderful for its haunting and poetic sound. The next track, “Lost!” is great for its imaginative qualities. “Yes” is seven minutes of aggressive experimental rock goodness complete with a string arrangement inspired by India. The aforementioned title track “Viva la Vida” is inspiring for its fantastically tragic lyrics and truly beautiful culmination. “Violet Hill” is fantastic for the way that it is adventurous and explosive and for the way Martin sings deeper than ever. And the last track, “Death and His Friends,” is glorious for a few moments of absolutely beautiful harmony and for a resoundingly, virtuously hopeful ending to a great album - without being patronizing or sentimental.

Ultimately, Viva La Vida adds up to a more dark, more rich experience than any Coldplay has conceived thus far. And it’s beautiful in its darkness and richness. Eno seems to have instilled in the band a sense of propriety and purpose. He seems to have reminded them that if they have something to say, or something they want people to feel they must transfer that knowledge or feeling emphatically through bold creativity that is grounded in structure and order. And he seems to have assured them, as he did U2 in the 1980’s, that they must trust their talents, trust their vision, and trust their stories. And the band seems to have embraced this sense of purpose. When they are singing of tragic things, the songs sound tragic, if not epic. For example, there is real pain, real sadness in Martin’s voice when he sings as that deposed king in the title track. And when they are alluding to more pleasant moments or times - though such occasions are more rare here than in past albums - the songs sound pleasant and daydreamy per Coldplay’s usual delivery, but rather than simply sounding sentimental the songs are characterized by a sense of dreaminess: they are romantic but not as a serenade is, perhaps more like a fairy tale is. What this new album may display most poignantly is that Coldplay can be most successful when they dabble on the edge of reality, when they forget about themselves, when they push themselves to discover and create something new, something they have yet to experience. Indeed, this already oh-so-popular band might just be most meaningful to listeners when they forgo all the cliche conventions of our watered down musical world and throw on their packs and set off on a journey of discovery and imagination and mystery, just as they have this time around.

Come to think of it, maybe Coldplay is a band that even the indie-hipsters can embrace. What do you think? Would you join them on their journey a little deeper into the hill?

Artist: Coldplay

Album: Viva la Vida

Release Date: Now in stores

Our Rating: 8.5

David Kern is a fan of folk music, inspiring and challenging films, and literature that makes him want to be a part of the story. You can see more of his reviews and opinions at his blog: www.besidethequeue.wordpress.com. You can email him at david [at] intothehill.com.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 11:34 am and is filed under Album Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.