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.
MP3: Coldplay - Parachutes
Visit Coldplay on their Official Site or preview them on iTunes.
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Jeff
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.
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.
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!
In Viva La Vida (the song), the lyrics have a deep and historical meaning if you pay attention to them.
that is where i got my listen and i LOVE the new album!!!
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
But their name-choosing taste is nothing new. They once called themselves "The Starfish."
Regardless, I may buy the album.