Coldplay: Violet Hill
Since the beginning of their careers Coldplay has been dogged by comparisons to Radiohead. While the comparisons were not unfounded they seemed to be unfair. Coldplay’s piano driven heart-felt pop rock has produced two melodic albums that have been both lauded by critics and snarled at by hipsters. Three years after their last album Coldplay seem determined to silence all naysayers and continue making their brand of music with a more experimental twist. Even their forthcoming new albums’ title “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends” appears to be more cerebral and a departure from their earlier work. Furthermore, Coldplay will have Brain Eno producing their album who pieced together classic albums by the likes of U2, Talking Heads and Devo amongst others. While expectations are high for the new Coldplay album, dropping on June 12, they are now at a fever pitch since the first single “Violet Hill” has just leaked. The new track starts off with a serene ambient backdrop and unexpectedly goes into a crushing guitar riff not associated with Coldplay’s signature sound. However, as the track gains momentum we hear the familiar grand piano sound and Chris Martin’s soothing voice soar over the chorus. There’s a guitar solo in the middle of the song that’s reminiscent of arena rock fist pumping anthems. The song ends with the usual melodic soft crooning over softly played piano we’ve come to expect from Coldplay. If this song is any indication of what the new album will sound like, we can expect a change of pace from Coldplay with welcomed familiarity.
Since the beginning of their careers Coldplay has been dogged by comparisons to Radiohead. While the comparisons were not unfounded they seemed to be unfair. Coldplay’s piano driven heart-felt pop rock has produced two melodic albums that have been both lauded by critics and snarled at by hipsters. Three years after their last album Coldplay seem determined to silence all naysayers and continue making their brand of music with a more experimental twist. Even their forthcoming new albums’ title “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends” appears to be more cerebral and a departure from their earlier work. Furthermore, Coldplay will have Brain Eno producing their album who pieced together classic albums by the likes of U2, Talking Heads and Devo amongst others.
While expectations are high for the new Coldplay album, dropping on June 12, they are now at a fever pitch since the first single “Violet Hill” has just leaked. The new track starts off with a serene ambient backdrop and unexpectedly goes into a crushing guitar riff not associated with Coldplay’s signature sound. However, as the track gains momentum we hear the familiar grand piano sound and Chris Martin’s soothing voice soar over the chorus. There’s a guitar solo in the middle of the song that’s reminiscent of arena rock fist pumping anthems. The song ends with the usual melodic soft crooning over softly played piano we’ve come to expect from Coldplay. If this song is any indication of what the new album will sound like, we can expect a change of pace from Coldplay with welcomed familiarity.
