albums and tracks

Editor's rating

Just in case we were in any doubt of the hugeness of Coldplay's fourth album, pre-order sales ahead of its release on Thursday suggest it will be the biggest album of 2008. And how.

In the lead-up to its release, the band themselves have made much of a more experimental tilt, claiming to have been influenced by the likes of My Bloody Valentine, metallers Rammstein and other rarefied luminaries. This we could presumably take with a pinch of salt - after all, X&Y was supposed to have been influenced by Kraftwerk and yet Coldplay gave us a set of mid-tempo stadium rockers with lyrics seemingly taken from a child's poetry book.

The good news is Viva La Vida... is a step in the right direction - a dense, melodic and compact set of songs brimming with ideas - while care has been taken not to dilute that big Coldplay stadium sound.

Indeed, the two key players in their evolution are producers Brian Eno and Markus Dravs. Having twiddled the knobs for U2 on some of their biggest records, it's no surprise to find that band's trademark sound splashed all over the album, from the instrumental guitar/synth build of opener 'Life In Technicolor' to the Joshua Tree-aping 'Lovers In Japan'. Dravs meanwhile, who helped shape Arcade Fire's organ-driven sound, does the same for Coldplay on the impressive 'Lost!', complete with handclaps and tablas.

So while it's nothing close to being wilfully obscure, Viva La Vida... is a clever record that packs a stronger sonic punch than its predeccessor. All in all, a satisfying compromise.

Chris Nye-Browne