Well, I had so much fun writing up a full review of Weezer's latest self-titled album, that I thought I'd get back at it and write a review of Coldplay's latest. I have been a big Coldplay fan since Parachutes, and have been looking forward to their latest release for a while now, and I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed by it at all. Lets start with Track 1 and go from there.
1 - Life in Technicolor - I'm about 99% sure this is Coldplay's only instrumental track on any of their albums (well there are some "oooohhh's" in the background, but overall it's instrumental...) I really like this track, it's a great album opener, it does a great job of setting the mood for the entire album.
2 - Cemeteries of London - This is a good track, it sounds very much like what you'd expect from Coldplay. There isn't anything overly special about it, but like I said, it's a good track.
3 - Lost! - Like the previous track, Lost is a good track, it isn't anything overly special, but still something worth listening too. The organs and the melody of this song almost make it feel like a gospel hymn which is pretty cool.
4 - 42 - This is one of the weaker tracks on the album, primarily because the first minute and a half are kind of boring, and the lyrics are bizarre. At 1:30 it really starts to pick up though, the next two minutes of the song are actually pretty good, not enough to make the entire song great, but all and all it's a decent track. For some reason even Coldplay's weaker tracks are still worth listening too.
5 - Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love - This is, in my opinion, one of the best tracks on the album. As seen in the title, it is actually two songs, and switches from the first to the second about half way through the track. Both are very good, the first song is very upbeat and is great both musically and lyrically, the second half is a slower ballad which is equally as great as the first half.
6 - Yes - I'm not a huge fan of this track, I think it's a little better than 42, but still not as good as everything else we've heard so far. This track, like the previous track switches in the middle to what sounds like a different song, but is in fact the same song, pretty tricky. I actually enjoy the second half quite a bit, but not enough to make this a preferred track.
7 - Viva la Vida - This is all around a great track, one of the best on the album. It's no surprise that this was the second single and the title track. If you listen to the radio, you've probably already heard this a ton of times, so I'll move on.
8 - Violet Hill - This is another great track. I really like it because it doesn't sound like every other Coldplay song, it's a new sound for the band, and a great new sound at that. Once again, since this was the first single, you've probably already heard it a million times, so I'll move on.
9 - Strawberry Swing - This is the kind of song I was hoping to hear on the album, it is a great track, and although it probably won't ever be a single, it is definitely something to look forward to when listening to the album. X&Y, Coldplay's album previous to this had two such songs, Til' Kingdom Come and Swallowed in the Sea, which are probably my two favorite songs on the album, and this in a way reminds me of them. Great track!
10 - Death and All His Friends - This song, like the previous track, reminds me of my two favorites from X&Y, and consequently is a great track in my opinion. It starts out very slow, gradually building up to an upbeat track, and then slows down again and transitions into a reprise of Life in Technicolor, giving the album the perfect closer it needs.
Although there are a few tracks on this album that I'm not a huge fan of, and I don't think it is quite as good as its predecessor X&Y, I'm still going to give it a sold A. It is definitely another great addition to the Coldplay catalog. One thing I really like about Coldplay is that their albums only get better with each listen. I wouldn't be surprised if 6 months from now, the tracks that I wasn't immediately a huge fan of become some of my favorites... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
One other thing that should be noted is the familiar, almost U2esq sound found throughout the album. This is obviously Brian Eno's (U2's Producer, and Producer of this album) influence. Normally I don't like it when one band sounds like another, but in this case it works great, and I think credit should be give to Brian Eno for adding a new dimension to Coldplays sound.
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