www.coldplay.com
www.myspace.com/coldplay

I remember seeing Coldplay in concert out in Marysville during the release of A Rush of Blood to the Head. Chris Martin, appearing late because he was getting a “haircut” from whom the crowd whispered was Gwyneth Paltrow backstage, addressed us at the open:

“Hello, uh, I’m not sure where we are… Sacramento?”

I’d blame the guy for being off his frontman game, but honestly I didn’t really know where we were at the time either…

I lost whatever interest I had in Coldplay after X&Y was released. Their desire for the U2 sound left their music somewhat bland and their songs a jumble of jabbering lyrics (very Bono, with all due respect). But hope prevails, as we’re presented with two great tracks off their new album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, releasing in June. Here, they exhibit a more orchestral sound while retaining a concise version of the piano-based turned guitar-based pop rock they’ve been known for in the past.

I prefer “Violet Hill” over the other songs. It features a nice dark marching rhythm and a robustly effective guitar solo. “Viva La Vida,” isn’t bad either, with an excellent arrangement of ambient sounds, though the lyrics feel a bit lacking in any real emotive qualities. You may recognize the latter track from their iTunes spot posted below…