Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends POLL

i choose death

great record. title track followed by "chinese sleep chant" followed by "42"

Best version. The only version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3oToTpCy4o

i choose death

― michael keaton IS jim thirlwell IN ‘foetaljuice’ (bizarro gazzara), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 22:57

Over listening to Coldplay? Me too.

Ha, I had a feeling that this would irritate the musical snobs on here (both those who are willing to admit they are, and those that are but won't), but I've been listening to this album a fair bit over the last couple of days and finding myself equally surprised at how much I like this album and irritated that they've never been able to make anything anywhere near as good, either before or since. If the first three albums were the band trying to channel what they felt was great about Radiohead/U2/R.E.M./Echo & the Bunnymen/whatever Chris Martin was obsessed with at that moment and actually coming out with stock post-Britpop with eyes focusing more on stadiums with each album (although those albums aren't without their highlights - here's looking at you, 'God Put a Smile Upon Your Face'), this album feels like they tried to compress every single great idea they had into a concise album with production that provides candy for the ears and without sacrificing any of the accessibility. It's sonically - and songwriting-wise - far more adventurous that what they'd done before yet is not quite the tilt into full-on pop they'd make with Mylo Xyloto or A Head Full of Dreams, and coming after X&Y, which really should have painted the band into a corner and left them stone dead, was a huge surprise.

gotta say i was very into this as a fifteen year old. good anthems, also kinda down with the richard sharpe cosplay. would still ride for cemeteries of london, violet hill and lovers in japan. viva la vida always sucked shit

the ep with the b-sides from this record, prospekt's march, is also great if only for "glass of water" (less great for the jay-z version of "lost")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdZTjVL3ylU

wonderful song

In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this record is one of the best records of the '00s, mainstream or otherwise. Yeahyeahyeahyeah, I can hear you being all like "what? no! fuck off!" but you're wrong!

I don't think I have listened to this album in years and years, but I thought it was pretty good at the time.

Yeah, 'Glass of Water' was definitely worthy of going on this album, but I've no idea whereabouts on the album it could have gone. The tracklisting is pretty perfect. This is, to date, the only Coldplay album that I can really listen to front-to-back without wanting to skip anything.

pretty easily the best coldplay record, though not one of the best records of the 00s, and i agree with brad that some of prospekt's march is great too - "glass of water", "rainy day" and "prospekt's march/poppyfields" especially

voted for "strawberry swing"

I remember when Pet Shop Boys did Glastonbury (I think it when they were touring on Yes) and Neil Tennant was being interviewed and he said something along the lines of that when they first heard 'Viva la Vida', they thought "ooh, they've written a Pet Shop Boys song!"

Never listened to the album, then or since (out of snobbery and also there is so much other music), but the title track is as wonderful as it is cheesy and means as much to me personally as it is meaningless in actuality. Inextricably bound up with events in my life that started 11 years ago to the day(!) - Ill happily listen to this album to assess the rest of the tracks but my vote will be "Viva La Vida".

Eno doesn't have the magic touch on every album works on, but he did a really great job on this record, which makes Mylo Xyloto all the more frustrating, in the sense that this album shows that they could have pulled off their version of Zooropa if they'd wanted, but instead they decided to go more pop.

Sometimes I wish 'Chinese Sleep Chant' were twice as long. They never really returned to that territory again, and it's a shame.

i don't recall liking much of this album honestly, or even the big single. i liked "lovers in japan" tho

what’s the shuffly one with the organ, is that on this album?

that's "lost"

they named the album "viva la vida" because to them this seemed like a good album title & that's the part that's hard for me to get my head around

works as a tribute to vida blue

xpost tbf they named it Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, so even they hedged.

I was single when this record came out and was dating a Canadian gal who was really into this album, there was a shoegaze-y/dream-pop song that wasn't terrible... after googling it's "Chinese Sleep Chant".

I come off as an elitist twat kind of in that post, I actually like a couple Coldplay songs:

"Sparks" (reminds me of Little Wings) &
"Talk" ("Computer Love" is one of my fave songs and I like how they paid homage to it)

Their best album by far. One of the best of the 00s? Don’t be a cretin.

Don't be a 'musical snob'.

*digs out Scik's positive Keane review* ;)

Yeahyeahyeahyeah, I can hear you being all like "what? no! fuck off!" but you're wrong!

a person who believes that their tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people.
"a musical snob"

Their best album by far. One of the best of the 00s? Don’t be a cretin.

― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, May 23, 2019 5:57 AM(five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^ See what I mean, re: the musical snobbery issue? I mean, god forbid that Coldplay made one of the best albums of the '00s! Which they did, and throwing around words like "cretin" doesn't change this.

and there were a lot of great albums released in the '00s.

I mean, this album is flawlessly written, impeccably produced, absolutely breezes by as a start-to-finish listen (it doesn't sag at all), remains sonically interesting throughout and has zero filler, so I mean it obviously is a great record. That it irritates people because Coldplay made it says more about what they're unable to do than what Coldplay have done.

clodyalp

Textbook self-clowning.

Do you have anything to say about the record, Tom?

Charlie Watts is great on it.

Ah, I see - you haven't and you're only on this thread to troll. FP'd.

Seriously though, I cannot stand Chris Martin's voice, which is somewhat of a drawback to appreciating Coldplay, who, otherwise, I don't have any great dislike of.

(xp) LOL, you need to take a break from ILM, you're just making a fool of yourself.

Ah, okay, well that's fair enough - I feel pretty much the same way about Tom Waits.

(x-post)

Tom Waits, is he someone musical snobs like?

(I don't like him either btw!)

Am I musical snob if loved the first album, liked some songs of the second, then refused to listen to anything by them again after the first time I heard "Fix You"?

fair reaction but it also makes me think you'd dig this record

Yeah, I agree. Even at the time I thought that X&Y was gonna be the record that would finish them off.

It's a bit OTT to call this record "impeccably written" but it is very well produced and arranged and performed, which more than makes up for the worst of Coldplay's inclinations (which manifested soon enough).

A mystery to me: the band worked very closely with Eno again on Zenyatta Xyloto or whatever, to the extent that he gets a "Additional composition by Brian Eno" credit. But ... he is not credited as a producer, and the album comes off as a boring pop response to the stuff they did on this album. Wonder what happened? Martin comes off pretty self-aware in this interview but also concedes he'd do anything Eno asked. Maybe Coldplay's pop direction, like 2000s U2, was Eno's doing!

(sad lol, I've been playing this album in the background and tbh it was all a bit much so I had to turn it off)

It's a bit OTT to call this record "impeccably written"

Elaborate.

it was all a bit much so I had to turn it off

"a bit much" in what way?

As I remembered the album there was I thought a bit more weirdness, but as I listened to it today however many years later it seemed pretty steeped in the usual "whoaoahoah" Coldplayisms. Given the relationship between Dravs and Eno I figured that was why he was involved, but I think they hooked up with Markus Dravs for a bit of that millennial whoop Arcade Fire stuff, like a lot of acts were doing at the time

As for how it's written, again, it was playing in the background, but a lot of the album sounded pretty (literally) sketchy to me, like a bunch of ideas and hooks and whatnot cobbled together - often in a cool way but not always as good start-to-finish songs so much as catchy mood pieces.

But I won't die on that (violet) hill.

without relistening the only song I remember from this record is "Strawberry Swing" and it was nice so I voted for it.

It's really funny how a couple of people have mentioned 'Strawberry Swing' as a highlight, because I always remember that particular track generally being singled out at the time as being the one that wasn't as good as the others. I like it, of course.

As I remembered the album there was I thought a bit more weirdness, but as I listened to it today however many years later it seemed pretty steeped in the usual "whoaoahoah" Coldplayisms. Given the relationship between Dravs and Eno I figured that was why he was involved, but I think they hooked up with Markus Dravs for a bit of that millennial whoop Arcade Fire stuff, like a lot of acts were doing at the time

The use of headphones is recommended to get the most out of this album.

The only song I remember from this album is "Lovers in Japan." I prefer X&Y.

Wait, neither of you remember 'Viva la Vida'!?

that song is very much not “impeccably written”

Of course it is. There's nothing about that song that I can find fault with, and nothing about it that's unnecessary/doesn't need to be there. It became a huge hit to the surprise of nobody.

good times for ilm

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ca/e4/db/cae4db4539b244b479dd293e8316dc7c.gif

Good times for ILM to come up with a dismissal of this record that isn't "lol Coldplay", that is... I'm still waiting!

I liked Coldplay's first three albums quite a bit. I saw them at Madison Square Garden on the Rush of Blood tour and really enjoyed it. But I found this album overdone, like they were trying way too hard to come up with sounds that would make people say "Well, I didn't expect that from Coldplay." It's always a bad sign when a band starts dressing in faux-military or mock-marching band uniforms, too. So IMO it's been all downhill for them starting with this album. I'm basically in full "I can't believe I used to like these guys" mode with Coldplay at this point.

I don’t have a problem with Coldplay, I just think vida la vida is an objectively bad song

I’m down with Delacroix though

the pet shop boys viva la vida cover vs their where the streets have no names cover

maybe its the arrangement that’s bad? Idk not a pleasant experience

Then perhaps you'd like to elaborate on why you think it's an objectively bad song? If only because "it's not a pleasant experience" is about as subjective as it gets?

I liked Coldplay's first three albums quite a bit. I saw them at Madison Square Garden on the Rush of Blood tour and really enjoyed it. But I found this album overdone, like they were trying way too hard to come up with sounds that would make people say "Well, I didn't expect that from Coldplay."

I believe that trying to come up with something that sonically was a break from their previous three records was the point!

It's always a bad sign when a band starts dressing in faux-military or mock-marching band uniforms, too.

Why is this a "bad sign"? Because The Beatles did it?

Which is the one they stole from Joe Satriani?

Why is this a "bad sign"? Because The Beatles did it?

I had actually forgotten that they did this, because I am at the point where I never think about the Beatles unless someone else brings them up. It's a bad sign because it signals that a concept album or some other type of Statement may be on the horizon (cf. My Chemical Romance). The only band that can really pull off faux-military uniforms is Laibach, for obvious reasons.

id always thought the uniforms were directly inspired by arcade fire who they talked a lot about at the time and were clearly heavily influenced by, but the beatles were probably part of it too

i actually got a free copy of this CD as it was left in a rental car. i only played it a couple of times because around this time i was over Coldplay. i will have to throw it on inbetween Beck songs and pick a song.

I agree with everyone in this thread insofar as this is one of the best albums of the decade and I'm also too snobby to ever listen to it for pleasure purposes

It's strange though, these secret uncool albums that are made and are awesome but are just too uncool for your consumption, and yet through corporate means or otherwise they still find their way into your pharmacy shopping experiences, and you have this incredible moment of musical epiphany when you're purchasing deodorant, and Chris Martin is suddenly "singing about me, he's literally reading my mind, this is incredible,"

And I don't have much else too add except that I saw them on this tour and it was a truly life-defining moment because I was 5th row and I turned around like every song when things got very Coldplay-esque and watched an entire stadium of people less cool than me experience emotions that I'm too dead to ever experience myself

Then perhaps you'd like to elaborate on why you think it's an objectively bad song? If only because "it's not a pleasant experience" is about as subjective as it gets?

yeah I’m too cool for this album ok lol

about viva la vida the title track

1) the strings kind of smother everything
2) his delivery, he sounds moon eyed and dumb and like he’s slowly approaching me with a syringe, it just doesn’t work with the lyrics well
3) It’s just not a great tune. Melodically, harmonically, rhythmically, whatever

What appeals to me about Viva La Vida is that the lyrics kinda deal with a topic that I haven’t heard dealt with with such grace in a another #1 single, basically,: “oh wow I’m 32 and the denial of my youthful agency is taking on internal proportions that I would describe as biblical”

Kill me for being a sucker for a big single that describes a universal experience in a singular manner

Then perhaps you'd like to elaborate on why you think it's an objectively bad song?

Objectively bad?

I only like a handful of Coldplay songs but listened to this all the way through for the first time last night. In terms of production/sonics it's a lot stronger than what they'd done previously but bar a few exceptions I just don't think they write particularly interesting melodies. Would give my vote to 'Death and All His Friends'.

I saw them on this tour and it was a truly life-defining moment because I was 5th row and I turned around like every song when things got very Coldplay-esque and watched an entire stadium of people less cool than me experience emotions that I'm too dead to ever experience myself

This is very much what my experience was like seeing them on the Rush of Blood tour. I distinctly remember thinking that this was not music that would work in a small club at all - they really needed the giant scale of an arena and a massive worshipful crowd singing along for their music to do its job properly.

i.e. the U2 Effect

What appeals to me about Viva La Vida is that the lyrics kinda deal with a topic that I haven’t heard dealt with with such grace in a another #1 single, basically,: “oh wow I’m 32 and the denial of my youthful agency is taking on internal proportions that I would describe as biblical”

Kill me for being a sucker for a big single that describes a universal experience in a singular manner

in his 60s my dad adopted it as his anthem when he and my mom got divorced

normally chris martin is a terrible lyricist (i think he's even copped to this, his lyrics are more space fillers than they are expressing anything usually) but "viva la vida" is p easily his best work

I have no idea what the lyrics to any Coldplay song are so it’s the string patches, which sound like a free software demo, that ruin the song for me.

Yeah 'Viva La Vida' I was close to liking but the strings and the 'whoahoh' bit sort of spoil it. Full disclosure, I have a sort of lingering resentment towards the singles as they were on the radio all the time during a particularly depressing time at my depressing previous job.

fuck coldplay and all your feeble human emotions!!!!!!!!!!

the strings on vlv are live, though recorded one at time and overdubbed instead of using a string section or orchestra, but i can hear how they'd be mistaken for synths

i don't love it but i can agree it's one of martin's few decent lyrics and certainly the best out of their biggest hits. there's a lot of really nice sonic touches throughout, presumably thanks to eno, and i like the choral backing vocals at around 2:12 a lot.

recorded one at time and overdubbed instead of using a string section or orchestra

Just ftr there is absolutely no reason to ever do this, unless you're just actively trying to waste your label's money. Especially not if you're gonna get the results these dorks got.

https://vimeo.com/116989320

oh actually at about 4:50 here davide rossi's (who arranged and played the strings on it) thing is explained - he's figured out some setup with multiple microphones to get an orchestral sound from a single violin when those tracks are put together, and then he overdubs loops etc

but i don't really get it

revisiting a rush of blood to the head and wow “god put a smile upon your face” is a really good song

riff is very radiohead but the rhythm section take it in kind of a post-punky direction and it sounds fantastic

Yeah, I completely agree. It was my favourite song on the album by a long way even at the time, and for me it's still the highlight and has retained its freshness, whereas other songs on that record - 'Clocks' and 'The Scientist' mostly - were killed very quickly for me by overplay. I like 'Daylight' also, even if it's not quite as good as 'God Put a Smile Upon Your Face'

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Just ftr there is absolutely no reason to ever do this, unless you're just actively trying to waste your label's money. Especially not if you're gonna get the results these dorks got.

― shared unit of analysis (unperson), Friday, May 24, 2019 1:03 PM (four days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

There's, of course, a very good reason to do this. If things are recorded separately, it gives whoever it mixing the record more flexibility and control at the mixing stage without having to worry about bleed. The downside of this, of course, is that it can also feel a little sterile, but in this case I think the band were just trying a different approach and seeing what happened. I think the end result sounds great, of course.

Uh, hey. I have done exactly that on hundreds of records. There are ways to make overdubbed single violins sound wonderful. It isn't easy and there are lots of methods and tricks, but Davide's method sounds really good to me.

It is really expensive to hire orchestras on albums, and especially expensive for major label artists such as Coldplay; major labels oftentimes have mores stringent requirements with regards to adhering to union regulations with your choice of orchestra.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I went with 'Chinese Sleep Chant' in the end, but 'Cemeteries of London', 'Lost!' and '42' all deserved a vote.

the new songs are a return to VLV's art-rock lite so they've vaguely got my interest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goyq7GDYEkE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJNG3WmsOs4

"arabesque" rules

Yeah, "Arabesque" makes me think they've been listening to 70s Afro-rock.

...Drew Goddard (the director) has a writing credit on that?

they've absolutely been listening to 70s afro-rock - the "music is a weapon" bit is a fela kuti sample and one of his sons and one of his grandsons play on it. palestinian oud trio le trio joubran also play on it

"orphans" feels especially indebted to the unforgettable fire & the joshua tree, even for them, but that's not a bad thing

"Arabesque" was a nice surprise, but that "Orphans" song sounds pretty generic to me, not unlike that loosely Afro-poppy "Adventure of a Lifetime" song of theirs or one of those recent Beck songs."Colors?"

i think this new album might be their best, pleasantly surprised

"trouble in town" is really cool

livestream of their performance in jordan right now on youtube

"Church" is very much the same widescreen late 90s downtempo-influenced-by-"world music" feeling as Ray of Light and i love it

this album is excellent

unfortunately Chris "Lib Dem" Martin is now cancelled

the first side is really wonderful the whole way through, even the lyrics of "daddy" can't make me dislike it. it's a shame nothing else is quite as adventurous as "arabesque" for them but as i said before "church" and "trouble in town" are highlights too

the second side is much more inconsistent though, "cry cry cry" is horribly cloying and a terrible use of that sample, it's the only track i skip. "bani adam" is an interlude in form but longer than a lot of the proper songs and both parts of it are fairly insubstantial. "eko" and "old friends" are gorgeous folk ballads at least, some of their very prettiest. "orphans" is one of the few concessions to radio and arenas but evokes the wide open desert feeling of joshua tree-era u2 in a really nice way, especially the verse. the chorus is a little clunky but as far as big coldplay arena anthems go i really like it. the other one on this album, "champion of the world" is plodding and forgettable though

i think they get away with the earnest prettiness of tracks like "daddy" here because they don't aim for any sort of big arena-rock emotional catharsis climax in the way they usually would. they're happy just to let the songs be extremely pretty and float along (and really they're recorded so gorgeously here!)

Best Coldplay album in 11 years. Looks like EDM and loudness war is finally toned down a good bit.

Heard "Champion of the World" today and liked it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWUV5-frRU4

they've gone prog?

paris from king has a writing credit on it

haha they have bts on their single out this week that's a very goofy move

They played City Winery in NYC last night, which holds about 500 people max.

That must be a thing as bands ease back into live performance. Metallica played here last night at a venue that holds a thousand max.