Provided Photo

Coldplay is one of the few artists to release an album this year after a long break that music lovers should actually be happy to see back on the scene.  But on their new album, the band not only celebrates their return, but it also tells you where they’ve been since 2006.

Viva La Vida is another entry from one of the only true rock bands to make it big in our generation. The album is a natural evolution of music that can come only from a band playing together for years, through the rough spots and the fantastic artistic discoveries.

The single “Violet Hill” is Coldplay’s iconic brand of ethereal rock, but with a little rough touch, like a gentle nudge from The Rolling Stones. “42” is similar to most of the songs on A Rush of Blood to the Head, and “Death and All His Friends” could be an outtake from Parachutes.

But Viva La Vida is not just a display of Coldplay’s history, but also a mini-tour of all the places that have influenced their work. You might notice Asian influences in “Life in Technicolor,” the British soul of The Animals in “Cemeteries of London,” and an oddly Celtic feel in “Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love.” Continuing the Irish tour, they channel U2 in “Strawberry Swing,” and pick up the American pop/rock style in “Lost?”

Producer Brian Eno helped the band develop their sound and bring out the airy, almost symphonic sound that Coldplay started, and Death Cab for Cutie seems to be picking up. The most important thing Eno seems to have done, though, is to let the band be who they are.

The title track’s unorthodox rhythm feels like a completely different sound from the band, but Chris Martin’s silky smooth vocals are as strong as ever, bringing fans home to the same great Coldplay. The track is different, but it still doesn’t abandon the style
that has made the group one of the most popular bands out today.

Viva La Vida is an abbreviated album with only 10 tracks, but it shows once again the consistently excellent material coming from Coldplay. It also shows why they should return again and again, to show the music industry where it should be going.