Coldplay

I'm listening to alot of Coldplay this week because Tracy and I will be seeing them at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Friday night.

I've been a Coldplay fan for awhile, probably since the beginning with "Parachutes." They've really grown into a band that knows their craft; they have some of the catchiest, yet challenging melodies on the music scene. While I think on a whole that their "X&Y" album showed them at their best in this area, their newest disc "Viva la Vida" is full of goodness. "Strawberry Swing" and "Cemetaries of London" are classics, Coldplay-catchy and edging into previously uncharted territory. I hope to see them both performed at the concert. If I had to guess about the performance of new material I'd say there'll be judicious sampling and lots of keyboards played by each member of the band. In other words, I'll be interested to see how they manage to pull of some of the new songs in a live setting.

My only issue with the latest album is the sound quality. The overall sound is a bit washed out and reverb-drenched, and the vocals, when they are at the appropriate level in the mix, seem a little sharp and grating; this is not a Chris Martin issue, mind you, it's a mixing/recording issue.

Viva la Vida!