I received an email shortly after 10:00pm this evening from iTunes letting me know that my pre-ordered download of Coldplay’s new album was now available. My heart started to race and a child-like giddiness began to bubble to the surface–it was like Christmas back when I was five all over again! After my anticlimactic experience with Violet Hill, I did not know what to expect. Quickly, with a swift click of the mouse, I was on my way to be treated to Coldplay’s fourth, and arguably their best, album to date.
The marked progression and evolution of their songwriting definitely shines through from the moment Life in Technicolor begins up until Death and All His Friends / The Escapist tapers off to a slow, bittersweet goodbye. Recorded in the churches of Spain and various areas in Latin America, Coldplay’s thematic Viva La Vida… emerges in victory after a thoroughly introspective exploration in religion, mortality and love. Musically, this release sways back and forth experimenting with ambient soundscapes, subtle pianos, distorted, almost Radiohead-esque guitars, more prominent percussion, a much defined vocal palette, sometimes considerably beyond the falsetto, and a large accompaniment of strings. I would love to go into more detail and examine what makes each track tick, but would rather you experience it for yourself. Coming from a devoted fan of the band, they have come a long way since Yellow.
Nine Inch Nails have released yet another free download obtainable from their website entitled: Lights in the Sky EP, featuring music from the artists supporting them during this summer’s Lights in the Sky tour. This list of bands include: A Place to Bury Strangers, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Crystal Castles, and one of my favorites, Deerhunter. The download includes high quality mp3’s (sans-DRM and fully tagged) and bonus content including wallpapers, web graphics and a printable poster. If you are at all into the likes of electronica, 80’s dance, industrial or moody, atmospheric music then check it out! You are bound to fall in love with at least one band from the sampler, if not all. Go to lightsinthesky.nin.com and Enjoy!
After the online release of their instrumental masterpiece which is Ghosts I-IV, Nine Inch Nails has released another full length album entitled The Slip which has been made available to the public in various format downloads from standard mp3’s to lossless quality files, sans-drm and fully tagged. Like a more magnanimous Radiohead, they have completely withdrawn from the bureaucracy of record label involvement, self-releasing their new album on their website absolutely free, with no strings attached. At just under 44 minutes, The Slip is Reznor’s shortest full-length album, indexing many of his most appealing qualities as a songwriter from the ambient instrumental passages to his fluctuating vocals that range from soft to loud and then from loud to louder, with lyrics that glide seamlessly against raging industrial drumbeats and then swim along a ruminating sway of piano keys. With The Slip, Reznor is able to reflect into the depths of his personae without the pressures of some sort of reprisal. The albums is definitely dark and brooding, symbolic of death, but even more so a possible rebirth.
Coldplay has recently announced a North American release date of June 17th for their new album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends and have made the first single, Violet Hill, available as a free download at their official site Coldplay.com. Unfortunately, due to an unanticipated overload of traffic, there has been a tremendous amount of download problems. If you are experiencing such problems or delays downloading their new song, you may download the new single by clicking on a direct link to the file I have made here. Pressing on, Violet Hill is a slight departure from their previous releases and features noisier guitars and a stomping drum beat that one can envision as a great show opener. As a highly devoted fan of the group’s music, at first listen I would have to slap myself by honestly saying that I was underwhelmed, uninspired and unimpressed. But, after the second or third time around, the song has definitely grown on me and I have come to appreciate the refreshing change of pace that is a precursor for what’s to come. Let’s hope the rest of the album stays with us long after the last note fades out.
