My Coldplay.com - A Coldplay Blog

Rating: 3.5/5

Coldplay are a heavily mocked and derided band but do not forget that in 2000 - the year of manufactured pop, they were a breath of fresh air.

Come 2002, and the band’s sophomore album had them refine the techniques hinted at with their debut ‘Parachutes’. Some listeners were already noticing a certain drippiness oozing its way into the songs, but all in all, ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ felt decent.The trouble began in earnest with 2005’s X & Y. Looking back, it was a heavily dull album and Chris Martin’s maudlin lyrics sounded worse than ever. The band stretched a set of conservative songs way too far and the result was a bunch of overproduced and over-baked tracks. It may not have hurt their popularity, but it did give them a reputation for making mind nullifying music.

So taking all of this into consideration, Coldplay were indeed in need of a rethink, and Martin did well to freshen things up through producer Brian Eno.

Eno does indeed leave his mark on Viva. The first thing one notices on opening instrumental ‘Life in Technicolour,’ is the band’s new organic sound. There is a new feeling of space instead of the aural clutter of the past. This is further exemplified by Cemeteries of London which floats in a fresh, new vibe, even though in essence, there’s nothing particularly innovative.

Essentially, this is what keeps me from praising the album and classifying it as a bona-fide return to form. There is still that certain conservatism - they did not go all out, as U2 and James (and many others) did when Eno produced their work.

This restraint keeps Coldplay within their own boundaries, and the interesting parts rub shoulders with too many eye closers. Which is not to say that the album is a failure. There are a good number of tracks which rank as some of Coldplay’s best efforts to date (The title track – Viva la Vida, the second part of the title track – Death and all his Friends, Lost!, 42). Additionally, Martin’s lyrics have improved greatly.

Yet, Viva is not a stand-out album but a good, competent one. It is the sound of a band which knows how to asses weak points and come-back stronger and better. With these qualities, the band should be here for long and sooner or later, they may well surprise us.

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