Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All This Friends

Label: Capitol Records
Rating: 4 Guns

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Written By: White Chicks On Rap

There are very few albums I am excited for this year…the first one was Gnarls Barkley’s The Odd Couple, the second one was Portishead’s Third and the next one is Viva La Vida by Coldplay. If you are interested, another album I am waiting for is Massive Attack’s next album, which I hear might be coming out late this year.

For us Coldplay fans we have waited since 2005 for a new album and I swear that Viva La Vida was worth the wait. I have listened to this album for two weeks now and I literally love every song. Brian Eno (U2’s producer) and Markus Dravs (Bjork’s producer) do an outstanding job crafting an experimental album but remaining a Coldplay album and not U2 album.

The band takes a political tone in such songs as “Violet Hill” with the lines “I don't want to be a soldier/
With a captain of some sinking ship” and “Priests clutched onto Bibles/Hollowed out to fit their rifles" and the line in “Lovers In Japan” “Soldiers you’ve got to solder on/Sometimes even the right is wrong”.

Even the artwork is political with the “Liberty Leading The People” painting by Eugene Delacroix. The picture depicts the July Revolution of 1830.

The album opens with “Life In Technicolor” which sounds like “Where The Streets Have No Name”. What is interesting is that there are no lyrics to the song.

The album covers a range of topics such as politics, God and death. The track “Cemeteries Of London” uses hand clapping which reminds me of canasta. It adds an extra depth.

Keep your ears open for the hidden track “Chinese Sleep Chant”.