So, naturally, I was one of the over 600,000 people to download the new single, "Violet Hill" from their website within the first 24 hours of them posting it. I've been following the developments of the new album for the last year, and I was a little confused by two things.
First of all was the title, apparently inspired by this Frida Kahlo painting:
In my craziest games of word association, I don't think I ever would have answered "Coldplay" with "watermelons," and I certainly wouldn't have expected lead singer Chris Martin to do the same.
Secondly, a day or two before the single dropped, the band revealed that this would be the cover artwork:
Equally confusing. Last I checked, they were from London, not Marseilles.
But all my fears were washed away when I listened to "Violet Hill." The song starts out as a wispy, airy ambient experiment, only to be slammed into by Martin's vocals and the unusually heavy guitar that appears around the one-minute mark.
To listen to it is to experience it. It's chill-inducing, epic, and, surprisingly compatible with their other three major-label releases. That's certainly the biggest surprise, to hear a Coldplay guitar solo(!) and suspect that many of their fans will still enjoy it.
Until June 17th, when Viva La Vida hits shelves in the U.S., be sure to check www.coldplay.com for any updates or more free downloads.
This Billboard article offers some more hints as to what to expect. In the meantime, cross your fingers and hope for another album filled with "Shiver" and "Amsterdam."
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