To say there has been a lot of anticipation for Coldplay's fourth
album,
Viva La Vida, is an understatement. Having enlisted
legendary leftfield producer Brian Eno, borrowed their album title
from a painting by renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and made
tantalising remarks about sonic reinvention, the world has been
curious (to say the least) to hear what the `new' Coldplay might
sound like.
Viva La Vida definitely makes some departures
from the band's usual formula, which happens to be one of the most
commercially successful rock-pop blueprints of recent years. The
plangent chords, emotive melodies, stadium-rock rhythms and
universal lyrical concerns remain, but Martin and co. have gone out
on several limbs here, incorporating instrumental tracks ("Life In
Technicolour"), using subtle North African and Latin elements
("Yes", "Strawberry Swing"), and overhauling previously strict
verse-chorus-verse structures in favour of slightly more avant
arrangements. The old Coldplay still shine through (see tracks like
"Violet Hill" and the title song) but even their classic sound
feels more muscular and confident. The band's new flourishes,
cosmetic and self-conscious as they may be, are enough to make
Viva La Vida a welcome break from the old routine
--Danny McKenna
People en Español
Cuando Coldplay anunció con bombo y platillo que su cuarto
disco, bajo el ambicioso título de
Viva La Vida or Death
and All His Friends, vendría acompañado de la
producción de Brian Eno, dos escenarios se convertían
en posibilidad: o se trataba de su peor álbum o la obra
maestra de su carrera. Afortunadamente, la producción de Eno
no lleva a la banda británica a imitar a U2 por
ningún momento, y en cambio, el grupo liderado por Chris
Martin presenta el mejor disco en su trayectoria, ofreciendo un
sonido distinto, en el que por fin se alejan del pianito hartante
de sus primeros tres álbumes y suenan como lo que siempre
prometieron ser: una de las mejores bandas del mundo. "Life In
Technicolor," "Viva la Vida," y sobre todo el tema "Lost!,"
representan a Coldplay en su momento cumbre.
--Ernesto
Sánchez (
People en Español 
)
