Coldplay

Add Date: June 24

Artist: Coldplay

Album: Viva la Vida, or Death and All His Friends

Label: Capitol

Genre: Rock

Comments: A solid, if not spectacular, effort from one of the world's most popular bands. The first half of the record is somewhat bland, though "Cemeteries of London" and "42" are decent songs. Viva la Vida gathers steam right in the middle of track 6, "Yes," which transforms from a fairly forgettable adult contemporary tune into a shoegazey jam. (Let's hope this doesn't become a single, because I'm sure the radio edit would strip this song of its merit.) Things flow nicely into "Viva la Vida," continue with the hit "Violet Hill," and then turn folksy with "Strawberry Swing," which sounds like it might belong in the catalog of Coldplay's northern neighbors in Travis. The album's biggest benefit, though, is that it doesn't sound a whole lot like X&Y or A Rush of Blood to the Head. Co-produced by Brian Eno, who according to the credits also provided "sonic landscapes." Yeah, that sounds like something he'd do.