mixtape maestro (2.0)

It didn’t seem possible that Coldplay could sound any more epic than they have in the past. Then they gifted anxious listeners with the amazing “Violet Hill”, which took Coldplay’s familiar piano-rock template and amped it to eleven with thunderous guitar blasts and spectacular ambient textures. Not only were Coldplay coming across as bigger, they also sounded about ten times better, increasing anticipation for what else they and new collaborator Brian Eno had in store for us on the Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends project. Latest leak “Viva La Vida” continues to set us up for an amazing Coldplay era.

Within seconds of hearing it’s main musical hook, a tense, zig-zagging string melody, “Viva La Vida” announces itself as an instant favorite. Chris Martin’s pearly tenor glides with ease over the pleasantly orchestration as he ponders on how sudden the descent can be once you’re feeling on top of the world: “One minute I held the key/ Next the walls were closed on me/ And I discovered my castles stand/ Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand”.

As the song continues, other musical layers are subtly woven into the arrangement (from chiming bells to distant wails), increasing it’s sense of urgency as Martin’s lyrics delve deeper in intriguing Biblical references. But even as “Viva La Vida” is weighted with all kinds of noise and history book noddings, it never once feels too heavy-handed, retaining it’s innate prettiness and crisp sheen through several mini-climaxes. As all the ornamentation slowly seeps away into the darkness from whence it came, listeners are left with nothing but background harmonies in the fade-out, a strikingly quiet finish that will have you rushing to press rewind just to become enveloped in it’s blossoming extravagance all over again.

Upping the ante in ways you wished, but never thought they could successfully pull off, look for Coldplay’s newest work to only strengthen their hold as the biggest band in the world. Chris Martin and Co., we bow to you.

DL: “Viva La Vida” (Amazon)