Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death & All His Friends

A new way of working but with familiar results

Perhaps wary that their signature sound has been as much a curse as a blessing, Coldplay have bigged up their new record as a melting pot of influences, “A move from black and white into colour,” according to Chris Martin. Gershwin, Marvin Gaye, My Bloody Valentine and Jay-Z have, perhaps flippantly, been mentioned as touchstones, although there seems to be a more studied and less scattergun game plan.

Much of the album follows a post-Beatles template, with the few songs not front-loaded with McCartney-isms tending to be heavy on Harrison motifs. Macca is the clear inspiration for the gospel-lite of Lost!, a cautionary fable about the dangers of getting what you want, which is pretty much Fix You with the optimism removed.

That said, Cemeteries Of London has elements of Fairport-like folk balladry, Lovers In Japan attempts to beef up a few U2 guitar lines, while both Yes and the title track awkwardly weld baroque string passages to the group’s vague ruminations on living an honest life and being true to one’s self. Martin’s vocals are so low in the mix that it’s not always easy to hear what he’s singing, but anything other than the usual cloying Hallmark platitudes would be a surprise.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

Parlophone | tbc

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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