When June 11^th arrives, a tranquil wave of stillness may in fact set in over the world of music. This marks the day that Coldplay will not only release their fourth studio album but will also celebrate ten years of delivering creative masterpieces into the foundation of what adult contemporary music is today.

Wrote By: Leah Mertz (Edmonton Correspondent - Canada)

June 7th 2008 

When June 11^th arrives, a tranquil wave of stillness may in fact set in over the world of music. This marks the day that Coldplay will not only release their fourth studio album but will also celebrate ten years of delivering creative masterpieces into the foundation of what adult contemporary music is today.

Although their timeless and gentle aura may make it seem like they have been around a lot longer, Coldplay found its niche in music only after a huge surge of superficial circus acts of the 90's wore thin on consumer's hearts. Coldplay came along as four British men who aimed to soften the sound of rock and roll. Fans around the world are so eager for the oddly titled Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (named after a Frida Kahlo painting of that title) because, hey, it has been awhile since we've had new material added to the soundtrack of our life. We would all like to think that come June 11^th, Coldplay will continue to deliver the pulsating rock and roll ballads that are so near and dear to our hearts.

Coldplay has managed to evolve just enough to keep their sound groundbreaking yet within the comfort zone of all attentive fans. It has been almost three years since the boys released the mega popular X & Y...since then they have sunk beneath the media's flaring radar to concoct new songs for Viva; however, this time, the band proclaims that this album will be unlike anything fans have ever heard before. Could this be a good thing? Judging by the sound of the first single off the album ‘Violet Hill', there are still familiar traces of the Coldplay we know and love, although there is quite a departure melodic unity. The song seems to be priding itself with capturing a more dissonant sound...something artists these days are finding to be more and more acceptable. As a huge Coldplay fan myself, I enjoy the single but would also like to see a more ‘radio friendly' track be headed as the first release off the album. This single can either go one of two ways: It could be a soft segue into the band's idea of something we've never heard of before and thus catapult Viva into a successful album or it can turn fans off completely and force Coldplay to resort to the other Viva -- Las Vegas.

Reports of the album being leaked have already begun to surface and the reviews are mixed. Notorious celebrity blogger Perez Hilton claims the album ‘sucks' while fans able to listen to it have weighed in on fan-sites saying the album is ‘nothing short of brilliant'. Lead singer Chris Martin states that the theme for the album is etched into a song lyric that reads 'just because I'm losing, doesn't mean I'm lost.' It will be interesting to see how the new album is received enmasse.

Besides the way their music sounds, I have a huge respect for Coldplay's commitment to their artistry as opposed to the commercial capitalism we know as the music industry today. Thanks to lead singer Chris Martin's continual efforts to downplay his high profile marriage to Gwyneth Paltrow, Coldplay has intentionally gone out of their way to focus their fans on their music as opposed to what is going on behind the curtain. It is an honourable act these days, when the hypnotic celebrity pressure from the media distracts from the actual music at hand.

Viva La Vida Music Video