Who Hid My Razor Blades?

So one of my favorite bands, Coldplay, released their fourth album yesterday, entitled Viva la Vida (or Death and All His Friends). Naturally, I immediately downlo.... errr... I mean, I rushed out and bought the album.

No, this is not going to be an album review - I'm not much of a music critic. I think this is going to be more of a comparison from old to new.

Being that this is a relative short album (~46 minutes), I have been able to listen through it twice this morning so far. It's not a bad album, not bad at all... but it's just not the Coldplay of yesteryear which I have grown to love. It's too happy and upbeat, and it doesn't make me want to slit my wrist or hang myself at all. But I really miss those feelings of pain and sorrow their earlier work invoked upon me.

Their first album, Parachutes, was one of the greatest ever created. Songs like Yellow, Trouble, and Everything's Not Lost made me want to drink myself into a stupor and jump in front of a train - but in a good way. Now who could forget the line from Yellow (which is, by the way, my favorite song of all time) that goes ,"...for you, I'd bleed myself dry?" Classic, classic stuff!

The follow-up album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, was equally as great and depressing. Songs like In My Place, The Scientist, Warning Sign, and the title track made me want to shoot heroin and then swan dive off of a freeway overpass - but again, in a good way. I bet that fearing people may actually would have done that, Coldplay put the upbeat Clocks (another of my all-time faves) on the same CD. Good move. Awesome album.

Then came the third album, X&Y, which was the beginning of their transformation out of the gloom. Boo. Hiss. I did like a couple of their songs, although I can't recall what they were. Oh wait, I do remember them now... Speed of Sound and Talk were the two I found somewhat enjoyable. However, I don't remember any good and depressing songs on that album. Evidentally, all their sadness and angst had gone away... maybe due to financial success or personal happiness? Damn you, Gwyneth Paltrow!

Viva la Vida should have been called X&Y: New and Improved or even X&Y, Part Deux. It's better than the last one, but still not what I was hoping for. Again, it's not bad... it's just not Kevorkian-quality stuff.

Oh, why must things change?



Well, at least there have been some changes over the last 7 or so years which bring about nothing but sorrow and anguish...