1. Brian Eno returns - He introduced Bowie to noise, and Talking Heads to polyrithms.* Who wouldn't want Eno to produce their record? Even if his last project, U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is not that great, the work seriously shows- (this might be a testament to the band.) With everything from lyricless interludes in the beginning to Chris Martin's vocal reprises of "ooooh" in every other song, all of these aspects mirror the timeless qualities of a record. I wouldn't like this album as much if I heard it in pieces. Eno makes you want to listen to the whole thing. "Life in Technicolor" fades into "Cemeteries of London" seamlessly. This is, frankly, moreso Eno's cool comeback than it is Coldplay's. After "Clocks," I thought this band had totally sold out, and it somehow deterred me from liking their music as much. I soon realized that you should just like music because you like it, and this record assisted me in coming to that conclusion. Props!
2. No more sun moon sky space bullshit - On X/Y this was all Chris Martin sang about. The band literally lives their lives on Earth in Viva la Vida and their is a musical death to all his celestial friends.
3. More reverb - it just sounds more produced. This goes back to Brian Eno...
4. Influences - If you're going to have Brian Eno on your team, and everything but "Violet Hill" is going to sound a bit different than your old music, you might as well learn from the best. Eno evidently shed light on Pink Floyd for "42." The entire those who are dead sequence is very Floyd. As well, in "Lovers in Japan," I found myself subconsciously mashing up U2's "I still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For" with it. It's that driving drum beat that underscores the guitars.
5. The lyrics are better - In "Violet Hill," Martin says "when the future's architected by a carnival of idiots on show, you better lie low." Pretty good.
This album is great!
*Slate Online Magazine
Coldplay : 42
Coldplay : Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love
Coldplay: Death to all his Friends
Coldplay "Life in technicolor" and "Violet Hill" in Barcelona
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