Review: Viva la Vida or Death And All His Friends - A Breath of Fresh Air

By Aisya Shurfa

It's hard to be a music critic who has to write about Coldplay music without sounding like a complete moron, it really is. You either hate them with all the organs in your body like Andy Gill does, or you mildly dislike them with a slight dislike that usually evokes images of upturned noses and eyes cast downwards. Or you think Coldplay are for sissies. And all those feelings are usually spurred by the fact that Coldplay are huge, they sell albums by the millions, they don't include any profanity or loud, bashing metal guitars in their music, and Chris Martin is married to Gwyneth Paltrow. What does all this spell? P-O-P-U-L-A-R-I-T-Y and M-A-I-N-S-T-R-E-A-M. And we all know how uncool it is to like something that’s popular and mainstream.

So I, being a person who doesn't give a rat's anal orifice about being regarded 'cool' (the cool people in Malaysia listen to classical music, the Top 40, or jazz), have decided to review the new Coldplay album, Viva la Vida or Death And All His Friends, as a backlash to all the halfwits who have written piles of manure that, by some unbelieveable twist of logic, have been passed as music reviews. You should avoid reading the earlier reviews of the album, by the way, as they were written by journalists who had attended a 'listening party' held by EMI in their efforts to avoid the album from getting leaked online the way it would if the media gets hold of a copy for reviewing purposes. That idea was complete trite, however, since you CANNOT possibly judge songs thoroughly just by taking one listen to them. Unless you’re reviewing the Spice Girls, or, say, The Tweenies. Coldplay DO make more complex music than you think (let's ignore the repetitive X&Y, and take another listen to Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head). Let's push all the unnecessary bits and bobs of trivia out of the question, and take a look at Coldplay from a musical aspect, since, well, they are a band, if you haven't noticed.

Oh, and whatever piece of information that you know about me and my opinion of Coldplay? Let's try to forget them, at least just for this article, oui?

The album begins with Life in Technicolor, an instrumental opener that fades in mildly, sounding a bit like something from your Microsoft Windows sound theme, thanks to Brian Eno, who helped produce the album. It also brings to mind Athlete's second album opener, In Between 2 States, except Life in Technicolor is so much more. More dynamic, more soaring,
more oomph, thanks to Will Champion's drum beats. A burst of twangy guitars and tabla beats suddenly explode into the scene before the song reaches it's climax with more subtle electronic and synthtastic sounds backed by Chris singing an upbeat repetition of 'woaaaah's. Just as you're about to get up feel the urge to take flight, the song then fades out and suddenly Chris, accompanied by strange, eerie synth noises, starts singing in a low register, muttering lyrics about witches, nighttimes, curses and other dark beings in Cemeteries of London. Around 45 seconds in, the song is swaggering and in full swing, with a catchy bass line, acoustic flamenco-style guitar strums, and hand claps you cannot ignore. Now you can get up and dance to the 'la la la' chant, chanted by Martin and a ghostly choir that gave me chills the first time I listened. And the second time. And the third. In fact, one week after putting the album on repeat, I still get those chills.

And you instantly notice this 'change' that Coldplay have so often mentioned when talking about their newest set of songs. This change, I must mention, which has already been criticised by the media for not being completely radical, is not so in-your-face-so-hard-it's-left-a-bruise, but it's definitely a step forward, which is great, since Coldplay DO have their own sound, just as U2 have their sound, and Radiohead have their sound, and the damn Arctic Monkeys have their sound. So I have absolutely no inkling of an idea why critics condemn Coldplay for sounding similar in all of their past 3 outings, and even in this latest one. What did they expect? Coldplay to turn into Metallica, or, God forbid, start playing jazz? There are no aggravating falsetto vocals that so many people would prefer screeching cats to, there are no larger-than-life pretentious over-echoed typical stadium anthems which were what X&Y was mostly about, and they've returned to the more organic, earthy sounds that made Parachutes such a big, critically acclaimed hit.

One of the changes that I have to mention, since it involves (or does not involve, to be more accurate) what Coldplay are probably most famous for is that this album does not contain any of those power ballads. Nope. No Fix Yous, no The Scientists, no Warning Signs. While the warm blanket that was The Scientist will be sorely missed, and no matter how much you want Martin to sing about how he'd 'bleed (himself) dry' for you, there's no return of that yearning love song all you sentimental ones wept to. In fact, in Viva la Vida, the closest Coldplay get to creating a song that sounds like Fix You and The Scientist combined is Lost!, even if it is only for its resonant Fix You-like church organs and The Scientist-like verse-chorus-verse structure. Otherwise it's a leap away from those favourites. Delicious, upbeat tabla beats drum along the whole song, and those infectious handclaps reappear here, too.

After the organs of Lost! fade away, Chris reverts back to his low vocal register as he sings 'those who are dead are not dead/they're just really in my head'. The track's called 42, and it's the most radically different of all the Coldplay song out there. It begins with Chris' eerie vocals and soft piano with mournfoul orchestral strings. As you begin to wonder when this radical difference is going to start, around 2:30 minutes into the song, the song takes a complete 90-degrees turn, and the mournful eerieness turns into a heavy, instrumental piece that could easily be mistaken for a (-and you knew this comparison would come!) Radiohead tune. Jon Buckland's signature soaring, The Edge-esque guitar playing style is no where to be heard-- Instead, you get something that sounds like a beat-up old robot trying to speak as it rises from a pile of robot carcasses. Amazing. Just as you're about to pick your jaw up off the floor, the song flips around another 90 degrees and suddenly, you get an Arcade Fire-style tune that sounds a tad bit country. And those handclaps. Fantastic. The song then ends with a reflection of the beginning, and that ties up the song very neatly.

Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love, which is actually two completely different songs, follow suit. I'm not too sure about the title, but Lovers is a sparkling, radio-friendly tune that's very reminiscent of U2's City of Blinding Lights. It's a shiny, sing-alongable pop tune.

For those who have missed having Coldplay minus all the synths and computers and machines and lyrics about outer space, you'd probably have a soft spot for Reign of Love, which has Chris singing delicately to you over the soft sounds of the piano. This song could easily belong in a collection of Parachutes B-sides, and it's beautiful in its simplicity.

In Yes, Martin sings in a very low register we've never heard before, so there's something new again. This number is strong in (what I believe is) Turkish influences that bring to my mind those Turkish twirling dancers. While the song is good, with its echoing violins and guitars, it doesn't really stand out for me. Somehow, it just doesn't fit in with the flow of the record. Chinese Sleep Chant, a hidden track, follows Yes, and while many love this one for sounding a lot like the earlier Coldplay (Moses, A Whisper, Daylight, and Crests of Waves), I don't particularly like this one. I can't point my finger on why, though. I love the earlier Coldplay, and one of my favourite elements of their music is Buckland's glistening, soaring guitars which are very apparent in this tune, yet somehow, I always press the skip button when it comes on. I find it annoying that we're not supposed to know what Chris is singing about in his falsetto voice, which is drowned by the loud, instruments. Ah, I think I've managed to put my finger on it. Falsetto + Incomprehensible lyrics = :(

Viva la Vida (the song) is a grand cinematic piece that could fit in nicely in (gasp!) an Enya album. But I love it! Sounding like a piece of upbeat classical music from the 19th century with a modern twist, this song evokes images of French revolutionaries, the Bastille, Napoleon Bonaparte, rolling hills and period dramas, without being over the top or cheesy. Buckland's guitar and Will Champion's drum kit are replaced with layers of sweeping violins, timpanis, bells and chimes. The lyrics about Jerusalem bells, Roman cavalries, St Peter and ruling the world are very vibrant, and are proof that Martin is indeed a good songwriter-- something he didn't really show in the very vague X&Y.

Violet Hill, Coldplay's first single that's only just started to get played on local Malaysian radio as I write this, is described best by Champion: 'We really tried to make it sound like this great big machine that was slightly knackered. Something that's slow and grinding'. Perfect imagery, Champion. With elements of politics, soldiers and snow-covered hills in the lyrics, the music itself reflects its subject matter. There's a slow, marching beat to it, bringing to mind a troop of marching soldiers on a battlefield. Excellent. Oh, and Guy Berryman's sexy bass lines are grooviest here.

When Strawberry Swing starts to play, you might begin to wonder whether someone had replaced your Coldplay record with a Music from the Andes CD, or (even though this song is described by many as having African influences) an album filled with Sarawakian music. Then Martin comes in with the vocals, and halfway through the song, the underlying beat of African drums and Eastern guitars are joined by synths and strong acoustic guitar strums, while Martin sings 'without you it's a waste of time'. Lovely.

The final track, Death and All His Friends, begins quietly, like a lullaby accompanied by tinkling pianos and a bit of Buckland's shimmery, soothing guitars. You might begin to believe that this is another Amsterdam, and it is reminiscent of Everything's Not Lost, but Death is far less predictable. In the same way that 42 makes right-angle turns, Death makes those turns, too. The lullaby ends, and scrumptuous heavy pianos come in with more of Berryman's sexy bass, and Buckland enters with crunchy guitars, and Champion starts drumming away in a faster tempo. Then, the song takes another unexpected turn and transforms beautifully into a soaring crescendo that, in a way, reminds me of the last bit of Politik. The whole band then sings together in a beautiful chorus, much like how they did in Fix You, and this is probably the most climatic, standout moment throughout the whole album. It literally took my breath away.

The album does not end here, however. The sonic soundscapes from Life in Technicolor fades in again, and I had to check my playlist to see if I had put the album on loop by accident. I didn't. I was listening to the album closing The Escapist, which mirrors Life in Technicolor like an album bookend, but with lyrics, and much, much simpler. Martin's final words are 'in the end we lie awake/and we dream of making our escape'. And as he hums soothingly along with the dreamy music, the song floats away. I was on top of a cloud by the end of this one.

So Coldplay have proven, with in the very brief and compact Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, that they have more to offer than power ballads, stadium anthems and the typical verse-chorus-verse structure in their songs. This latest outing is full of shocking turns, explorations of more ethnic music and organic sounds. Coldplay have given their sound a breath of fresh air which will please the older fans, and may convert those who think Coldplay only ever repeat themselves. They've come back bolder and better. I only wish this album was a bit longer.

Score: 8.9/10