Coldplay -- LeftRightLeftRightLeft
7/10
It's genuinely assumed that the members of Coldplay are nice guys. Too nice in fact, and that is probably a sentiment their record company felt when Coldplay announced they would be giving away a free live album to every attendee of the second leg of their Viva la Vida tour. Not only that, but the band made the album a free online download for anyone not lucky enough to attend one of their shows.
I was an attendee, but I didn't quite feel lucky. Coldplay put on a solid, enjoyable show, full of energy, life, and spectacle, but I realized something a little heartbreaking about the band, and about myself as I sat in my New Orleans Arena seat. Coldplay are just too normal for me. Which, I guess means, I am not normal. The packed crowd, including my wife, went suitably nuts throughout the show, and Coldplay did a great job of riling everyone up more and more as the show went on. Unfortunately, at some point, I started feeling this weird nagging alienation, and once it hit me, it stuck to the end. I felt a strange validation a few months later, at a U2 show in Houston. I didn't feel alienated at all and found myself getting much more into the show, most likely because I could make a more personal connection to Bono's more polarizing, thought-provoking lyrics. It makes sense then, that the one time I really felt a strong personal connection to a Coldplay album, I felt more depersonalized than I ever have in my life.
Yes, break down the arrogance of what I just said:
Essentially, I just said that all you huge Coldplay fans and people who really get into Coldplay shows lack a distinct and strong personality, and tend to fall into group think and action more often than not, while I, editor of The Nicsperiment, am the owner of a strong and steadfast personality, never wavering, always holding my own above the waves of the faceless masses--you.
Er, sorry about that.
So, how is this live album?
It's pretty good stuff. Maybe a few too many of those Chris Martin piano recitals I always complain about, but the band and the audience's sheer exhuberance make this a solid entry into the Coldplay cannon. Coldplay pull from their last three records here, along with the standout track from their Prospekt's March EP, and one new track featuring lead vocals of drummer, Will Champion. It won't set the world on fire, or at least me, but it's a decent way to spend forty minutes.
2009 Capitol
1. Glass of Water 4:44
2. 42 4:52
3. Clocks 4:40
4. Strawberry Swing 4:16
5. The Hardest Part/Postcards from Far Away 4:15
6. Viva la Vida 5:24
7. Death Will Never Conquer (Will Champion, lead vocals) 1:39
8. Fix You 5:38
9. Death and All His Friends 4:24
Comments
Coldplay are too bland to land in my least favorite slot, though. I think I'd go for something more openly antagonistic to my ears, like Animal Collective, or New Kids on the Block. I love your list, though, as Coldplay and Ed Sheeran are both as blandly populist as possible, and Sufjan Stevens is most definitely not. I am curious. What is it you don't like about Stevens? His voice? Is he too twee? I liked him in the past (generally the mid-00's), but I am wondering how I will feel when I go back to his music to review it, presumedly early next year. I had a hard time getting into his 2015 release (I thought it was pretty boring, overall), and haven't listened to much of his older stuff in the period since then.
But yes, his lyrics are just so ... macro, universal, whatever you want to call it. I think it's the music I dislike ... it's just so irritating, words couldn't even describe.
Animal Collective ... I've heard of them but don't remember what they sound like. Their name makes it sound like they could be Pitchfork darlings! It's also difficult to put my finger on what I don't like about Sufjan. I think it's the whispery singing. He always sound so bashful when he sings and never moves beyond that emotion. I'd much rather take something like Anathallo if I was to listen to Indie Folk. Nevertheless, I look forward to more reviews!