tunereviewno-nonsense music reviews

Genre: alt rock, brit pop, piano rock Rating: ½ Check Out: “Violet Hill,” “Viva La Vida,” “Strawberry Swing,” and “Cemeteries of London.” myspace

In their fourth official album, Coldplay is apparently all about statements. The musical tone, the relative lack of grandiose sounds compared to their previous work, and the lyrical storytelling shows a movement away from the insular world of frontman Chris Martin’s lyrics and the band’s rock undertones towards an enclosure of the world and history in general. It’s an admirable sentiment to be sure, but Coldplay just can’t seem to do it. This album is essentially a remastering of X&Y, with the simplified sound leaning more toward the simplistic roots of Parachutes than a drastic change of pace for the band. I won’t deny that this new album is catchy, but what Coldplay album isn’t?

I have to confess that what irks me the most about this album is the album art. The use of Liberty Leading the People (French: La Liberté guidant le peuple) by Eugène Delacroix is ridiculous, if only because it’s a part of French history on a British alt rock album. But it’s the painting itself that holds a deeper meaning of revolution. I would expect Radiohead to use this painting as their album art, but even they have the sense (or the humility?) to avoid something as grand as that. I’ve had the opportunity to view this painting at the Louvre itself, and I can certainly say the music hardly does justice to the painting and/or the sentiment behind it.

Coldplay is just starting to bore me. They seem to be incapable of anything that isn’t formulaic or a rehash of “Clocks.” “Violet Hill” had some potential, but there are so many other better artists in the world who deserve the millions that Coldplay has already made from this album. What a waste of time and money.