CD Review
Artist: Coldplay
Album: Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Label: Capitol/EMI
Release Date: Monday June 16, 2008

Reviewed By: Xanthe Couture (Edmonton Correspondent - Canada)

When you are a successful band four studio albums into your career, the pressure to produce new music that doesn't make existing fans pull their hair out, while appealing to those who have yet to join the bandwagon is a pressure cooker. Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death and All his Friends is a peace maker. Even the title of the album has two options.

Chris Martin has always expressed the stress of making a solid follow up album. Although Coldplay's style has gone with a more stadium sound after their hugely successful debut album, Parachutes, Viva La Vida continues on the path of keeping the trademark Coldplay emotive lyrical sound alive with some new forays into instrumental experimentation.

If you are an old school Coldplay fan, be prepared to love tracks like ‘42', ‘Lost!', and ‘Cemeteries of London'. The luxuriously melancholy, airy and dramatic sound will take you right back to when you heard Parachutes for the first time, the perfect music for cocooning in the malaise that only British musicians seem to inspire.

‘Strawberry Swing' and ‘Life in Technicolor' display intriguing new sounds brought about with the help of producer Brian Eno, famous for his work with bands like U2 and David Bowie.  Martin had told Rolling Stone Eno had provided some constructive criticism for the band and had told them they needed to improve on their lyrics, get some new sounds and stop relying on the same tricks.

Eno's impact on the album is that Coldplay still sounds like Coldplay but with some new manoeuvring. Coldplay was already creating anthem like music comparable to U2 on X&Y. Viva La Vida continues in that vein, but with a darker more sombre tone and some different guitar styles and musical effects than the band is known for.

Viva La Vida confirms to critics and fans alike that Coldplay are continuing to earn their status as one of the biggest rock bands of today. It is already on track to be one of the fastest selling records in UK chart history, where it was released last Thursday, an impressive statement in an era where record sales continue to decline.

Track List:
1. Life In Technicolor
2. Cemeteries Of London
3. Lost!
4. 42
5. Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love
6. Yes
7. Viva La Vida
8. Violet Hill
9. Strawberry Swing
10. Death And All His Friends