Coldplay :: Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

After being M.I.A. for the past 2 weeks, I'm back. Sorry for the delay, but I do actually have a real job that requires honest to God attention and time put to it. Thankfully, that crap may be over for a bit, so I can get back to wasting huge amounts of time.
Well, the new Coldplay album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, is being released tomorrow, and I for one am looking forward to hearing what Chris Martin and his fellow snaggle-toothed countrymen are bringing to the table this time. In reality, I already have the album, and let me tell you, it's not too damn shabby.
So far, I've been hearing a lot of people complaining about how their new stuff is a different - a real departure from their normal sound. Ummm...what? You listen to one song and automatically draw that conclusion? No, fortunately for those of us that enjoy Coldplay, they stay pretty true to their sound, but they do explore some different directions with their material, which is a good thing. With their first single, Violet Hill, released online weeks ago, they explore a new topic, composing their first ever anti-war protest song and borrowing a rhythm from the Beatles (Violet Hill is a street near Abbey Road). With Viva la Vida, or "live the life", the band hit their stride in a big way, making another hit song that will stick with you for the rest of the day. It's on a freaking iPod commercial, so you know you'll be singing it going to work by tomorrow morning.
Soaring vocals, giant beats, even a few strings thrown in....this is definitely a step up for the guys. They have some very cool, haunting songs, such as Cemeteries of London and 42, which breaks into some very Radiohead-ish sounding material at the end. You can't help but nod your head to the songs Lost? and Lovers In Japan, with their fantastic chorus lines and thumping beats. Strawberry Swing has some melodies reminiscent of the Fab Four, and closer Death and All His Friends ties it all up with a song that continues to build upon itself, finishing in dramatic fashion. If you're one of the legions that has followed Coldplay from their early days as the new hot thing to stadium kings, you won't be disappointed with this release. Score one more for the boys across the pond.