Coldplay: New Album Viva la Vida Details
If you haven’t heard by now, Coldplay’s new album will be called Viva la Vida. Does it sound like a horrible album name? Of course it does. Most English-speaking fans would have no clue what it means at first glance. First impressions are everything, and despite the likability of Coldplay, this may be the worst album name I’ve heard all year. Mind you, I’m not a Coldplay hater, like the million others out there, but the band would have been wiser choosing their alternate album name “Death And All His Friends”, but even that doesn’t click.
Perhaps a lot of what Coldplay has been up to doesn’t ‘click’ per se, but that seems to be what they’re going for. Rolling Stone sat down and got a sneak peek of the album with Chris Martin and the band as well as an explanation of the reason the album name was chosen and most importantly, what the album sounds like:
Singer Chris Martin chose it after seeing the phrase, which means “long live life,” on a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who endured polio, a broken spine, and chronic pain for decades. “She went through a lot of shit, of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said ‘Viva la Vida,’” says Martin. “I just loved the boldness of it.”
Martin’s boldness in name choosing falls right in line this time around since the birth of his two children who have since been named Apple and Moses. Says Martin to Rolling Stone:
“I’ve been through this before, naming something or someone and everyone saying that ‘That’s a terrible name’. But then saying, ‘Well, fuck you, that’s what it’s called, and I’ll be proved to be right eventually’. So when Viva la Vida came along, I was kind of annoyed because I’m going to have to try and convince everybody of this, but it just felt right.”
Besides the name of the album, Rolling Stone reports influences like that of The Doobie Brothers in one song and Afro-pop influences in another. RS reports that many of the lyrics are “darker, dealing with recurring themes of death and loneliness” and that Martins vocals go beyond his traditionally light-footed singing style.
Here is the description of some of the more likely songs to be accepted to Coldplay’s tedious track selection for the new album. The band had reported last year on their Official Site that VLV will most likely be only a 10-track album only because they wanted it all to fit together and couldn’t include everything. Here are the details:
“Violet Hill”: One of the strongest of the new songs, the band is considering giving it away as a special promotion in coming weeks and then leaving it off the album. Opening with a jagged distorted guitar riff, the song announces a new template: The stalking, bluesy beat fits nicely with Martin’s earthy vocals and plaintive lyrics: “If you love me, won’t you let me know?”
“42″: The fact that the band is considering this song as the album’s first real single underlines how far they’re willing to a stray from their formula: It’s an elaborate three-part piece, with swirling pianos, strings and beat loops that build to an uptempo climax, with some seriously stoner lyrics: “Those who are dead are not dead/They’re just living in my head.”
“Yes”: Here, Martin’s vocals take center stage like never before: Sounding more aggressive and strong than ever, they sit on top of an irresistible North African string-and-tablas arrangement and ache more convincingly than all the lilting falsetto in the world: “If you’d only, if you’d only
say ‘Yes’/I’m just so tired of this loneliness.” It’s the band’s freshest song since “Parachutes.”
“Death and All His Friends”: A straight-up rock tune with a riff that sounds ripped from the Doobie Brothers, piano, and, in the last section, flute.
“Cemetaries of London”: Notice the thematic pattern emerging from the title and lyrics? This one, with an electro loop and hand claps, doesn’t sound as glum as its title portends.
“Life in Technicolor”: Acoustic-guitar driven and jangly, this is one of the few tracks that seems built from the Coldplay template of songs like “Don?t Panic,” only a bit more, well, panicked: “Baby it’s a violent world,” Martin sings.
“Chinese Sleep Chant”: Opening with a jagged guitar riff, the song quickly settles into a propulsive dance-track loop with low-mixed, angelic vocals.
“Strawberry Swing”: This is one of several potential album cuts with Afro-pop and high-life influences: Here, distortion-free finger-picked guitars which sound straight out of Mali mix with a heavy bassline and psychedelic synths. “My Mum comes from Zimbabwe, so I spent a lot of time there,” says Martin. “I used to work in a studio where people played that.”
“Reign of Love”: A lovely layered composition of piano, bass and organ that backs fairytale lyrics.
Visit Coldplay on their Official Site or preview them on iTunes.
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I can remember a time when I would have been really excited to read this and highly anticipating their next album. Now, not so much. His lyrics SUCKED on the last one. I am kid, you know what I did, down the hill I slid, in my room I hid. I made that up as I typed and it is better than 95% of what he wrote. I will give them a listen and hope things have improved.
Jeff
Agreed. X&Y was Coldplay’s worst effort. I’d personally like to see the album they threw away in the 2+ years they were recording that album.
All bashing aside, they seem to be putting too much pressure on themselves, which may be leading to these odd album names and prolonged recording sessions.
X & Y was a great album with a lot of great tunes…I am sure they won´t disappoint with the new album either
The album is actually titled “Viva la Vida or Death And All His Friends” not just “Viva la Vida”.
Yeah, they changed that after we posted this. Perhaps they should change it again?
I just listened to the song Viva La Vida and am excited by the new direction they are taking. Can’t wait for the new album and love to see the excitement building. I still wonder if they can top the drama they dealt with Fix You from X and Y, and all the other great songs on that CD, but judging by the sound of the first song available on iTunes, it sounds like they can.
I don’t understand the criticism for the album’s title. To say that NO one understands non-English phrases is insulting our own intelligence, not to mention assuming that everyone must use our own language. Are we really so ignorant/lazy that we have to have EVERYTHING translated into English for us? Hello, it’s called Google. Just because you can’t speak any other language than English doesn’t mean the rest of our population can’t. I think the album title is FANTASTIC, and perfectly captures the heart of their album…. which is what titles are supposed to do. If you’ve even listened to the title track, then you’ll understand the reason for the album name. My hat’s off to Coldplay for what promises to be a breath of much-needed fresh air. -jen wood
I agree. Why should we assume that everything HAS to be in English? Why would you be shocked that any album title’s in another language? It’s a fact that the English language has significantly fewer words to describe things than, say, the Romantic languages, so in the world of art (which I’m ASSUMING music lies) a musician may need to use another language to encompass the heart of his/her artwork, which is in this case Coldplay’s album.
About the actual music, I was honestly put off by Violet Hill when I first heard it. The new, edgier sound seemed a bit forced. But Viva la Vida is an incredible track that really expands Coldplay’s talent into the dramatic orchestral genre- with great instrumental buildup that by the end is accompanied by, rather than dominated by, harmonic, soaring vocals. Can’t wait to hear the rest of the album, and am excited to see that the band stays true to what they want their music to be and sound like- regardless of what others may think or try to say about it. From the pre-order sales, it’s clear that the world is ready and willing to listen to a so-called “oddly named” album.
I don’t understand what the fuss is all about,the name of the album is great,finnaly something fresh and new,to get us out of the gray world of MTV “stars”.As for the X&Y album,it is absolutely great,the songs are beautiful,the music is great and the lyrics are meaningfull,and there is no reason to be trashing all over it.If it is a little bit too hard for you to apriciate the genious of it,please turn on your television sets,switch to MTV,and enjoy the crapy,meaningless music,maybe that will be easier for you,as for me I ma going to get the new Coldplay album,and listen to the music that actually has meaning and value.
Viva la Vida is still a sub-par album name. Can you say you like its title better than X&Y, Parachutes or A Rush of Blood To The Head? To me its their least attractive album title yet. More power to you if you think its not…
And I never said “NO one understands non-English phrases” – that would be an horrible generalization. I simply stated that at first glance, without Googling, most “English-speaking fans” would not know what it meant. If Coldplay recorded every one of their albums in Spanish, I would not have made this statement.
And their song “Viva La Vida” is absolutely fantastic. Looking forward to June 17th!
I like the new song, and despite the criticism of the album title in the first part of this blog, I also like the title. I think the “English People don’t understand it at first glance” is just an excuse for ignorance. Either they have never picked up a book that has art in it, or they’ve never heard the expression. The same with law, “Ignorance is no excuse”. Why criticize the album when you don’t even know what the title means?
In Viva La Vida (the song), the lyrics have a deep and historical meaning if you pay attention to them.
http://rs90.rapidshare.com/files/120187547/Viva_La_Vida.rar
If you didn’t hear the whole thing yet..it is on http://www.iheartmusic.com
that is where i got my listen and i LOVE the new album!!!
who ever wrote that must be a retard, this is one of the best albums… by far
and if you dont know what viva la vida means you may well be living under a rock or maybe you avoid dora the explorer
either way the lyrics are amazing
and this is true genious, this is just some nobody trying to make a statement and be cool
buy this album, the title suits it too btw
I don’t think the name is nearly as important as the music itself. However, I like the name anyways. “Long live the life.”
But their name-choosing taste is nothing new. They once called themselves “The Starfish.”
Regardless, I may buy the album.
yo jeff why must you hate so much. if your so much better why aren’t you doing any better for your-self? This band is great get a life jeff!