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

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

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.