Viva la Vida (or Death and All His Friends)
| Coldplay
Viva la Vida (or Death and All His Friends)
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, often referred to as simply Viva la Vida, is the fourth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 12 June 2008 on the Parlophone label. The album was named after a Spanish phrase that translates in English as "Live the life", although it can also be taken as "Long live life". Lyrically, the album contains references to love, life, death and war.- WIKIPEDIA
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
Viva is more like a bloodless coup-- shrewd and inconspicuous in its progressive impulses.
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RollingStone
Half the album’s tracks float images of war, while others evoke God, religion or death.
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CoS
Many of the tracks here drag on, mostly because they’re instrumentals that have been accomplished previously (and better) by a slew of bands.
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BBC
Any way you look at it, this is a massive album.
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IGN
They triumphantly return as rock royalty.
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SLANT
Viva is a record that, for its pretense and occasional clumsiness, sounds like the work of an act that’s actually ready to face the challenges of being that band.
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INDEPENDENT
Devising a simple, memorable melody line and ramming it home through endless repetition.
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The Guardian
One might argue that Viva la Vida's mild tinkering with the formula represents a failure of imagination.
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NME
Coldplay are perfectly placed to decree the shape of the new rock order with album five.
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popMATTERS
No, Viva la Vida is not their masterpiece, but for now, it's as close as they're gonna get.
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Drowned in Sound
their fourth album might just be their best yet, but it's still a long way from being the epochal classic that Chris Martin is desperate to create.
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AV/MUSIC
Viva La Vida sounds as if it comes as close to the experimental edge as Coldplay dares.
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SPIN
Is an album meant to connect with the masses.
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Digital Spy
Coldplay rediscover their indie-pop magic on album number four.
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plugged in
Moody melodies. Murky messages. It's a wispy release without much to get excited about.
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The Quietus
Is both far, far better than its clunking predecessor and in its own right a fine and interesting album.
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paste
You know you’re in for a different kind of Coldplay experience when Chris Martin ditches his anguished falsetto for a deep, doomy basso profundo.
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sputnik music
A soaring, over the top, and exquisite piece of work, that is also one of the most complete and satisfying albums in recent memory.
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musicOHM
Viva La Vida also contains some of Chris Martin’s best songs to date.
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POPSUGAR
Viva La Vida is indeed experimental but not in a way that will alienate fans.
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SLATE
Radical change is relative, and with Coldplay, a little upheaval goes a long way.
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Entertainment
their fourth and best album.
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Tiny Mix Tapes
This album is the same old naive romanticism theatrically propped on a pedestal, it's not really saying a lot.
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BC
The disappointment of X&Y made me wonder if I'd ever look forward to another Coldplay record, and Viva La Vida has answered that question by restoring my faith in the band.
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ALL MUSIC
something quietly satisfying.
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American Songwriter
is the work of a band finding new confidence and settling into the studio.
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The National
an interesting development, but one more record like this and Coldplay risks treading into Spinal Tap territory.
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Bosie Weekly
overproduced anthems drip with all the sincerity of a Hollywood air kiss.
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Leigh Journal
This fourth album is somewhat more exciting and musically adventurous than the bland X&Y that came before it.
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VIMTV
love this album.
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Gibson
you can sense exuberance in the new songs.
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self-titled
They’ve managed to add a consistent depth to what many have labeled before as cloying and shlock.
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a new doxology
one thing is certain…it is a very good, if not a great album, and it says a lot about their beliefs in God, life, death and whatever comes next.
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antiquiet
Qualifies as an epic musical piece.
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The Common Loon
simply a stellar concept album with no wasted 'filler' songs.
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TONE Audio
Love it or hate it, Coldplay has definitely expanded their craft significantly with this record.
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Hooks and Harmony
While the production is top-notch, at times it sounds pretentious.
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Everyone's Entitled to Joe's Opinion
Coldplay is only getting started with the promise of even greater things to come.
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CT
Coldplay has also indicated that the song sequencing is important to their work, making >Viva La Vida worth exploring track by track.
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SPLIT
I have listened to this album scores of times since its release, and I’m not stopping anytime soon. Definitely recommended.
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This Side of Sunday
Viva la Vida has not disappointed. I had pretty high hopes too. It is wonderful when a band lives up, and yet manages to keep it real.
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The Line of Best Fit
feels like a considered effort to write a particular type of record, instead of a natural progression of the band's sound.
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FANBOLT
The album is surprisingly good.
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JB HI-FI
The album takes the band to soaring new heights while still retaining the essence of a quintessential Coldplay record.
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NoCo Music Press
inspire growth in unification for those for choose to listen to it.
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rawkstar
It's sometimes hard to understand why everyone raves on about them, but this album is at least giving away little clues.
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