This album release was a very significant release for the popular Rock based group Coldplay. Everything about it, from the iconic artwork (a painting from 1830 with a French Revolution style theme) to the somewhat satanic album name and the music inside, was intended to be a drastic change from the Coldplay of earlier times. Abandoning their original producer, Ken Nelson, Coldplay initiated a lengthy recording period with production by Jon Hopkins, Rik Simpson, Markus Dravs and Brian Eno. This album also sold well and was well-received by music critics. The album was released on EMI Capitol on 12 June 2008. Coldplay are: Chris Martin (vocals); Guy Berryman (bass guitar); Jonny Buckland (guitars) and Will Champion (drums). Let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear if it is up to scratch.

1. Life in Technicolor begins with some surreal and clever electronic sounds. It sounds unlike anything Coldplay have done before this. It does sound genuinely amazing, all the same. A sweet and intricate rush of sound is present. Some unusual Eastern instrumentation enters, followed by acoustic guitars strumming away. This is true art. Perhaps Coldplay loved Pink Floyd and Radiohead a lot, especially at this time? Drums then kick in, and this short tune sounds fantastic. The band plays a fantastic instrumental on this album at this point, and it sounds very dramatic. A wonderful tune to hear. Brilliant start to the album.

2. Cemeteries of London segues in from the previous song, and Chris Martin sings deeply and emotionally on this song. His voice is straightforward, natural and sounds like a big improvement on his earlier vocal work. Regardless, this beautifully brilliant music enters into a sweet and interesting piece of music, tinged with melancholy. A well-produced, mixed and crafted song with a sing-along approach to it all. There is a guitar solo in the midsection that sounds very good and stunning throughout. Coldplay definitely are masters of wonderful and well-crafted songs. This music sounds great, complete with Chris Martin questioning his own faith in God. A wonderfully beautiful song that sounds really great. Coldplay can make some good tunes. The main section of the song fades out at the end, followed by a short and sweet piano solo. Excellent.

3. Lost! begins with organ, processed beats and handclaps. This is a good sounding piece of music with Chris Martin questioning what others are thinking about his life. In any case, this is a tripped-out and interesting-sounding piece of music. Another solid piece of music by Coldplay that sounds detailed and delicate. This album has some self-pity and moodiness about it, but that is fine. Coldplay are experts at this sort of thing. Nonetheless, this music is really strong and amazing to listen to. Bear in mind, as well, this isn’t really Rock Music. Instead, it is a warped fusion of Electronic-based music, guitars and processed Pop production. Nonetheless, Coldplay does a great job on this song. A very amazing and thoroughly good listening experience from start to finish. Absolutely solidly awesome to hear. It ends with a church like organ solo, before fading out.

4. 42 begins with Chris Martin singing moodily over some dark and melodic piano. This is a close-to-the-bone and emotional listen. String sections and bass guitar enter, and this piece gradually comes alive. A sad listening experience about missing the ones who have passed on, and fighting demons in one’s head. In any case, this lush ballad does sound sweet and impressive. Near the midsection, intricate drumming enters, and the rest of Coldplay play a pseudo-Nine Inch Nails section of music. All in all, this continues the dramaticism and overall mood of the album. This is a very solid, strong listen, as is most of the album by this point. Chris Martin sings about the loss of life and what comes next once we pass on. An interesting piece of music. It concludes with a catchy guitar riff to finish up, followed by a reprise of the introduction. Awesome.

5. Lovers in Japan is nearly seven minutes in length. It begins with freaky and interesting electronics with piano, and quickly shifts into a very upbeat section of music. Chris Martin sings with glory and confidence about keeping on going in life. The lyrics aren’t the greatest in the history of music. Having said that, this is a very listenable song throughout. Very, very cool. The music sounds great on this piece. The good thing is that this music is difficult to imitate, meaning that Coldplay were a very interesting and original band in their own way, contrary to public opinion. This music may not be the Rock Music of the first two albums, but it still sounds consistent and amazing to hear from start to finish. This also has a very definite groove to it all, and the whole band sound like a bunch of professionals who knew exactly what they were doing to achieve their music goals. The music stops suddenly in the second half, before launching into the second section of songcraft. Piano and delayed guitars, alongside bass guitar and other interesting sounds, are present. Chris Martin sings sweetly again, and he is not afraid to put his heart and soul into his music. This is a very good combination of sounds and textures throughout. Is this album the logical answer to Radiohead’s Kid A (2000) album? Quite possibly. A pleasant and interesting listen, again mentioning Christianity-style deeds and God. Very sweet to hear from start to finish. It ends with a gentle instrumental section that is top stuff. Brilliantly good.

6. Yes is even longer than the track before it, at over seven minutes long. It begins with a dynamic Eastern sounding string section, before Coldplay kicks in with acoustic guitar strumming, percussion and some more interesting Electronic music-based sounds. Chris Martin sings about relationship issues, and he doesn’t sound very happy at all on this track. There is a bit of an off vibe throughout, but this is very forgivable. There is a great mixture of sonic editing and sounds throughout. Some interesting string sections enter, and this tune nicely comes alive throughout. This tune is about struggling through life and desiring a real love from a lady. This is a good listen, but on its own, it isn’t that great. Still, this is a decent effort from Coldplay. The string sections are amazing and dramatic. All in all, this is another interesting and strong listening experience that sounds like a decent and deep personal perspective from Coldplay. There is a unique guitar solo in the midsection, followed by a halt in the music. This is followed by a completely different section of guitars and other detailed production for Coldplay’s song at hand. A very solidly excellent and interesting song, this section sounds a lot more upbeat and positive from the band. This is danceable and catchy throughout. Nonetheless, this is a real winner in music proportions. Absolutely top notch from a decent and talented band. Chris Martin sings in the background, and is followed by a dramatic and cool guitar solo. A very intricate, awesome and cool listen that is designed to be interesting and solidly uplifting. Worth hearing. It ends with some processed and cool guitars.

7. Viva La Vida was a huge hit for Coldplay at the time. Upon hearing it, you can instantly hear why. The string sections and Rock Music played from the start sound absolutely fantastic. Chris Martin sounds confident, although in typical Coldplay style, there is a dense air of moodiness and melancholy about it all. Likely singing about the French Revolution, this is an absolute classic of a song. It is literally so beautiful that one could shed some tears to this song. A radio-ready classic musically, that, quite frankly, should have had Coldplay perform this song at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Trivia aside, this is where music and world history collide. Regardless of whether you are a political person or a religious follower, this sounds dynamic and fantastic throughout. A very powerful, emotionally moving and fantastic song. This is the best song from Coldplay off this album. It ends with some melodic and soulful harmonies before concluding.

8. Violet Hill begins with some more spacey electronic sounds and builds up a great deal of suspense throughout. This sounds like a Ketamine or DMT trip hit. Soon enough, this launches into a rather awful tune with a poor-sounding selection of guitar chords added into the mix. Although this is the case, you can still sit through this particular song. Fortunately, it is relatively short and not overly challenging listening. Having said that, this continues to progress the overall album well. The electric guitars could have been edited out at this point, as they make this song very much worse. In any case, a less consistent and inspirational song from this album. Soon enough, Chris Martin’s singing and piano playing wrap this one up on its own. Good, but could have been better.

9. Strawberry Swing begins with some chatter, handclaps and enters into a piece of regular guitar and reversed guitar playing, before pounding drums enter. This is a really excellent tune that sounds powerful, awesome and magical from the get-go. Obviously, Coldplay had plenty of tricks up their sleeve at this point in time. A beautiful, descriptively detailed and experimental song from the same group that sang Yellow back in 2000? Yes, it is the case. Nonetheless, this album does sound solidly good for what it is. This music is powerful and good enough that it still sounds very good today. This progresses into an acoustic guitar-based jam in the second half, and this will likely make you smile. Nonetheless, this music is very, very good. A solidly consistent and emotionally powerful song (and album) that sounds very listenable. An awesome effort with an interesting outro to listen to.

10. Death and All His Friends is the final track on this album and is over six minutes in length. It begins with Chris Martin singing over some very nice piano to listen to. He sings about inviting a friend over, with hope and optimism throughout. There is a touch of guitar thrown into the mix as well. Extremely cool listening, this is humble, kind and gentle music for those of you who do not want Hard or Heavy Music to listen to. If you are a sensitive new age guy, this music is perfect for you. It launches into a drumming section with excellent sounds and harmonies throughout. In any case, this brilliant music still sounds very, very good to listen to at this stage. All in all, a strong finish to a very good album. Chris Martin sings repeated lyrics about the realities of life, and although he doesn’t have a great singing voice, he sounds emotional in his songs for sure. The first part of the song ends in the second half, followed quickly by a reprise of the opening track. This is a nice but rather unnecessary add-on at the end here. Regardless, Coldplay have achieved a lot of new and consistently groundbreaking music on this album. A decent conclusion to a strong album, even if this isn’t the best Coldplay album ever. Regardless, Coldplay shines bright here. The instrumental section goes on for some time, but sounds good. It fades out very slowly into oblivion, and the album finishes up there.

This is the sound of Coldplay following a much more artistic and accomplished route than ever before. This may not be as consistent as Parachutes (2000) or A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002). However, having said that, this is a marvellous album that has a wide variety of textured sounds and emotions that make it sound very wonderful and accomplished. Should you listen to this album? Yes, if you like a grand mixture of Rock and Electronic sounds in a humble, humane way. Fans of harder and heavier music will wish to avoid this one, however.

Imperfect but groundbreaking.

8/10