Coldplay can’t seem to put a foot wrong at the moment, both in musical terms and (crucially) in their promotional strategies. Just when you were beginning to think their trademark sound was destined to age on the hollow notes of ‘X&Y‘ they recruited Brian Eno to regain a little spark. His liberal borrowing of world music instrumentations and quasi-oriental time signatures undoubtedly rejuvenated the band’s creativity and augmented their sound at a crucial time.
2 months ago the band gave away their live CD ‘LeftRightLeftRight ‘ which was recorded during their last mastodontic tour. To date, some 4 million people are said to have downloaded it. Having already provided the fans with exclusive content during the promotion for ‘Viva La Vida‘ as well as free live shows hosted in Europe and The United States, more proof that these unlikely heroes have learnt to exploit the possibilities the web offers better than most.
‘LeftRightLeftRight‘ is a snapshot of where Coldplay are as a band right now. A place where stadium choruses as seen on ‘Viva La Vida‘ and huge instrumentals like ‘Death And All His Friends‘ sit comfortably next to old hits such as ‘Clocks‘ and ‘Fix You‘. The band are even able to squeeze in ‘Death Will Never Conquer‘, a country ballad sung by drummer Will Champion.
It’s of little matter that Chris Martin‘s voice has never been note perfect or even that some preferred the timid and awkward frontman seen on early tours, Coldplay now sit comfortably with other legendary imperfect yet unifying bands that are worth seeing at least once in your life.
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This article was written by Mario, the long-time Cougar Microbes advisor whose patience is always appreciated. Mitico!
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