by Shane Christensen

Created on: June 25, 2008

Coldplay is the biggest selling British rock group of the new millenium, and are firmly on their way to establishing themselves as the biggest band of the last decade. While their first full length CD Parachutes included the chart topper and fan favourite Yellow, it was the sophomore effort that broke the door wide open and brought this group worldwide fame and success thanks to hits such as Clocks, The Scientist, In My Place, and God Put A Smile Upon My Face. In fact, A Rush of Blood To The Head has sold over 12 million copies worldwide and won a number of international awards including 3 Grammy awards, which places it at the top for commercial and critical recognition for the band's three album discography.

Their third release, X and Y, did not garner the same success of Rush Of Blood, although it still managed to sell over 10 million units worldwide and included a couple of Top Ten hits with Speed of Sound and Fix You. But there was no denying that this effort lacked the vitality and originality of it's very impressive predecessor that is an undisputed masterpiece.

So when it came time to record their fourth album, the band decided that they would venture into new musical and production waters, ostensibly to avoid being tagged as redundant or yesterday's musical news. And there is no mistake whatsoever that they achieved their goal admirably, as they've created an album that is totally different from anything else they've ever done, but still manages to capture the listeners' ear in a unique kind of way.

There is no doubt that Viva La Vida is a product of the whole band, and Chris Martin has taken a step back to allow the other members to bring their talents to the forefront. It is also obvious that legendary producer Brian Eno had an enormous influence on all aspects of this album, to the point that he has helped them to transition their sound in the same manner U2 did back in '86 with the release of another Eno co-production, The Joshua Tree.

The most impressive quality of this effort is in the unique soundscape that Eno has created, in a manner that is totally unlike anything in their 3 previous releases. Because just as the Joshua Tree was unique from any other contemporary release, the same can be said of Viva. There are a number of firsts for the band on this disc, and they can be heard immediately as the album opens up with an instrumental alt/rocker that sets the stage for just how much of a departure from the past this musical experience is going to

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