[audio:vivalavida.mp3]
Viva la Vida
Following their previous album X&Ycomes Coldplay’s latest and greatest album Viva La Vida, or Death and All His Friends. I am so taken with this and their recent EP release of extra songs Prospekt’s March, more so than any of their past albums. There is so much great music on these two releases that I had to make a combined CD with a mix that does justice to the whole set.
In fact, my mix is so good that I wonder why Coldplay didn’t release it this way in the first place, on one album. Thematically they work very well together, with the exception of one song, which doesn’t belong anywhere near a Coldplay album. But we’ll get to that song later.
In making their 4th album, Coldplay traveled to South America, seeking to be influenced by different musical tones along the way. And while there is a little flamenco hand-clapping, there is something else about Coldplay this time around. Viva la Vida has a richness of sound and a grandness to it that was missing from previous albums. Where in the past their music could come across as a little contrived, there is a sincerity there now, an emotional core which is so much more powerful to listen to. I literally can’t stop listening to it from start to finish and I neverusually listen to albums that way.
Let’s get to my list:
'Viva la Prospekt'(text)
There is a theme running through the album which I believe begins with The Escapist, a soft opener which builds the first musical theme of the album. In the brief lyrics, Chris seems to muse over death. Such pondering also seems to offer an explanation as to why we might be saying Viva la Vida, or Long live life! Which is why the song Viva la Vida follows, documenting the last days of a king about to be overthrown by revolutionaries and considering his impending demise. In addition, it’s also the most popular song of the album and I don’t see why we should have to wait too long to hear it.
I felt like Death And All His Friendsshould naturally follow, as this is directly from the title. But not only that, it really answers the question for the album. Life or Death? By the end of the song, it’s clear which side this album chooses. And while it returns again and again to the idea of death, it is filled with the love of life and love itself which permeates the album. It’s an incredibly uplifting message with an energy that is then contrasted by the acoustic version of Lost, called Lost?. There are three versions,Lost!, Lost? and Lost+. This acoustic version is the best, with Chris’ bittersweet lyrics tearing away at your heart over a soft piano acompaniment. It’s one of my favorite tracks from the album, although it technically didn’t make it to the album, only to the Lost!EP anda few special releases. The version that did make it to the album, Lost!seems to be a collaboration between Coldplay and Timbaland. It’s on my album at number 15 because it works in a different way to the acoustic version. That leaves one version left, Lost+featuring Jay-Z. You will notice it is missing from my album. If I wasn’t the kind to keep full albums for the sake of it, it would be missing from my computer and iPod as well. I say this as a fan of Jay-Z, but there should never be any Jay-Z on any Coldplay album. More than that, no rapping. I know that Jay probably wanted to prove that he can rap off anything and mark it on the wall as another thing that he’s been in, but it’s just wrong, wrong, wrong. Yeah, Jay-Z you can tryto rap off anything, but in doing so you spoil an awesome song with your god-awful tone. I mean, really? In a song by Coldplay you have to bring up Biggie, Pac and niggaz suing you? Really? As a rap, the idea of success coming back to bite could be poignant in that context. But in this song Jay, your ugly words suck. Hard.
Phew! I had been holding that in for quite some time. Let’s move on.
Prospekts March
An important theme that I had going through the album was what I think is the trilogy: The Escapist and Life in Technicolor I & II. It’s actually like two pieces of music in three songs. LIT Iis the bridge from one to the other. As a result, I’ve spaced them at the start, middle and end of the album as the themes flow from one to the next. LIT IIfinishes the album with an uplifting reprise to the theme at the end of LIT I,this time with lyrics. I couldn’t have the album end any other way.
One other thing I did was to split up Lovers In Japanand Reign of Love, which were originally put together as one track on the album (for what reason I have no idea). I find it incredibly annoying to have to fast-forward to find a song I like and don’t see any benefit to joining titularly when they aren’t joined musically or chronically. Also on the album was another song after Yes. I wasn’t keen on this, so it got dropped. No apologies.
As for the rest of the album, you can discover it for yourself and figure out my motives behind their ordering. One final thing that I will say though is that the piece of piano at the end of Violet Hillis perhaps the most beautiful thing that Chris Martin has ever written. I have listened to that piece of music over and over and over and over. I have blogged about it before. Chris, if you ever read this, whatever inspired you to write that, just let it out and make a whole album of it.
For the rest of you, enjoy hours of audio ecxtasy!
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The Day the Earth Stood Still is built around a horribly mistaken premise: that a civilization intelligent enough to traverse the galaxy would be stupid enough to choose Central Park, NY as the place to make first contact with the human race. I’m not a super-intelligent being from another world, but ominously approaching a country as paranoid and trigger-happy as America seems to be asking for trouble.
