The University of Idaho Argonaut

Listeners come to expect a certain sound from a group after they’ve released three or four albums. Sometimes they stay true to their sound (Jason Mraz) and sometimes they have a small creative freak-out (Panic at the Disco comes to mind). Coldplay managed to elegantly do both.

The group’s new album, “Viva la Vida, Or Death and All His Friends,” has been called the group’s experimental album. That means they no longer have to financially please their record company, so they can do what they want creatively.

This freedom gives the band a more open, sweeping sound. It’s thicker — richer. They use bigger instruments such as tympanis and bass drums instead of a drum machine. This not only matures the band musically, but it puts them in the elite category of groups that actually play their own instruments.

The album opens with an instrumental track performed by a full symphony. It transforms smoothly into the second track, much as an orchestral movement would. That’s the feeling the whole album brings: an orchestral performance. In fact, in nearly every song they use an orchestra.

The track played the most is the title track, “Viva la Vida.” Hearing it on the radio does it no justice. The sound is too flat. This album should be listened to either on headphones or with surround sound. It’s hard to describe how much bigger their sound is without hearing it, but Phil Spector would be proud.

The other single from the album is track eight, “Violet Hill.” Chris Martin’s double-tracking is obvious in the opening vocals, but in a self-aware way. He purposely layers his own voice to create almost an echo throughout the whole track. Again, the whole sound is loud and big. The driving beat is as strong as ever. If you want to hear an example of the general sound of the album, this is probably the best song to listen to.

The third track, “42”, starts out simple, unlike the others. Uncomplicated piano chords back up Martin’s lyrics. After a minute and a half of his near-falsetto and the quiet piano, the driving beat comes in. A minute long interlude without vocals carries the listener along until Martin starts again. The whole song is one long crescendo.

Most of their other albums focus on Martin’s vocals. On “Viva” the focus is on the musical talent. Not to say Martin isn’t talented, but his vocals are blended pleasantly, not forced loudly to the front.

It is interesting to hear such a hard sound from such a soft band. But to be fair, they call themselves “very hard soft rock.”

Usually it’s hard for us mere mortals to decipher the theme of an album, but here it is obvious. Every song is about death and loss. Yes, this is common, but the way Coldplay presents it is beautiful. It’s brooding but upbeat. Depressed but hopeful.

This 10-track album is worth the money. Even though downloading it is probably cheaper, I suggest you buy the actual CD. Even if you aren’t a fan of soft rock, the pure talent of the group and the experimental nature of the album are worth having in your collection.