Violet Hill Reviews

[RunForTheHills]

Just post random reviews that you find on the song in this thread.

Here's an interesting one, apparently a Coldplay hater just got converted by the song.


Coldplay - Violet Hill - Single Review

By Gerard McGarry (http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/author/admin/) on Tuesday, 29 April 2008.
Filed under Rock Music (http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/categories/stuff-that-rocks/), Single Reviews (http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/categories/singles/). Tags: 2008 (http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/tag/2008/), Coldplay (http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/tag/coldplay/), Thumbs Up (http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/tag/thumbs-up/)
http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/coldplay-violet-hill.jpg
Well, they promised us different, and I can confirm that Coldplay (http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/coldplay-violet-hill-single-review/#) have delivered something different. But is it good? Hell yeah.
Even speaking as a determined Coldplay hater, Violet Hill sounds dark, foreboding, and heavy. Less of the piano-sturbation, and Chris Martin retires the falsetto in favour of a more earthy vocal tone.

Violet Hill is a song rich in texture: fuzzed-up power chords, wailing string bends in the background, and some very atmospheric drumming from Will Champion. This most definitely rocks.
If this is a sampler of Coldplay’s new direction, then it’s certainly enough to persuade me to listen to the album. Unlike other Coldplay songs (http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/coldplay-violet-hill-single-review/#) I’ve heard, this has balls.
Gentlemen…well played. Thumbs up (http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/tag/thumbs-up/).

[rudy_o]

this will make all of you mad

http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/3225019

[Saffire]

This just in: The only way Coldplay might not be compared with Oasis, Radiohead, etc is to ditch guitars and drums for xylophones. And even then it's iffy. :P

[Bonus_mosher]

Personal review....

and I'm going out on a limb saying this!

I think Violet hill is one of the best songs I've heard coldplay produce.

it is refreshing to hear something different from them,
the guitars, the drums, and the soft vocals on the intro/outro make this song too good to be true, the solo during the middle 8 makes me want to sway my arms left and right with a massive smile on my face...

I've listened to this song about 45 times today, and I just can't get enough of it. it's fantastic,

it was well worth the 3 year wait and already may be better than many of the songs off their last 3 albums.

Coldplay have since Yellow, been my favourite band,
every album, every song (Even a whisper ;) ) has been phenomenal, and this new offering is no different.

the only thing left to say after letting this song grow on you is "Bring on the album"

I give this song an 9/10

but then agin, I may be a tad bias :P

[Stefan-C8]

this will make all of you mad

http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/3225019
The very beginning of the song DID make me think of Blade Runner :P

[Knotty]

When a band like Coldplay takes 3 years to produce new material, the build-up to its release is always going to be highly anticipated and speculated about. The time, however, is here; Violet Hill was aired for the first time yesterday, and is available as a free download on their official site. So now, the question is whether it was worth the wait.

The short answer is "yes". The much-touted new direction is evident in the mid-section's guitar solo, in the more deliberated lyrics, in the atmospheric introduction which, unlike so much of X&Y, reverberates without arrogance or pretentiousness. But this is still Coldplay. It still has that edge. It is still going to be screamed along to in sold-out venues.

Eno's production shows, and although the song's structure is not massively unconventional, it still shows a desire to move that way. Given also that this will undoubtedly be one of the most populist songs on the new album, things bode well for Martin and company.

What Coldplay have managed to produce is a song no less incredible on its surface than underneath. There is no hidden depth or inspiring quality to this track, but only because it is so blatant that it hurts. As the haunting line "Priests hold onto Bibles/Hollowed out to fit their rifles" echoes through a sharp piano and guitar, you have to wonder whether this could be the start of something very, very good indeed.

[yes!]

i went to the balcony this morning into the bright sun and listened to vh the very first time with closed eyes. i got goosepimples from the very beginning where chris starts singing and i got tears in my eyes. above that i smiled like a japanese buddha figure.

i love that song! :D

[Bonus_mosher]

So now, the question is whether it was worth the wait.

The short answer is "yes".

...and the long answer is "Fuck yes"

:cool: :laugh3:

[Fixed]

Yeah I prefer the long answer too lol.

[melanieau]

^:laugh3::laugh3:

[Magnus]

Here's another review:

EDIT: *just realised it's the same as the first post heh*

[Mimixxx]

Zane Lowe (Radio 1 DJ, presenter, music buff and member of the band Breaks Co-op) had VH as 'The Hottest Record in the World" last night on his show and he said:

It's fantastic, brilliant return, can really see Brian Eno's influence with the atmosphere and evolution but it the retains pure essence of Coldplay, people are sick of Coldplay but they're pushing it forward.

Then after some texts came in he read out one that said "Finally it's cool to like Coldplay again, excellent song" and Zane referenced Chris on Jo's show and how he was saying he know CP fans suffer and said that he that Parachutes is a classic debut album, followed up by AROBTTH and he thinks they've made a good return to form and that they're good guys, that make good music. He also praised them for playing free gigs "it's good they're giving back to the fans, a lot of bands don't have the money, but some do and most of them wouldn't do that"

[clarice91]

I love the song_ anyone who thinks differently can go sod off!!!!

[busybeeburns]

Pardon our lateness to the Coldplay listening party.

By now I'm sure you know the narrative: Coldplay dabbles in Radiohead/NIN online altruism by making the the first single from their upcoming Brian Eno-produced album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends available for download (upon surrendering your email address) from their official site yesterday. And yet, by the time our morbid curiosity got the best of us, it took three different email submissions before we finally got the goods.

And that anecdote is about as exciting as it gets. Granted, we've never been huge Coldplay fans, but who could possibly mistake "Violet Hill" as a dynamic and interesting song? MTV!

And seeing as their gushing "review" of "Violet Hill" is far more engrossing than the actual song, let's train our curmudgeonly glare upon it instead. Thanks to this piece, historians will one day be able to pinpoint the exact time and date when music journalism died: April 28, 2008 at 4;47 pm EDT. It was at that moment that this review appeared online and actually pleaded with MTV readers to read a - gasp - written assessment of music instead of just listening to it...the horror!!!

And no, we haven't swung some sort of streaming deal with Capitol Records. Rather, this is a written preview of the track[...]And while we realize that reading about a song doesn't compare to actually hearing it, what else are you gonna do for the next 15-odd hours?

So very sad. And after apologizing to their readers for...making them read, our besotted MTV scribe then attempts to describe the revolutionary song structure of "Violet Hill"; and there doesn't seem to be enough words in the English language to talk about a song that starts quietly, gets loud, and then ends quietly. But at least MTV tries, detailing the "wall of gauzy, all-encompassing white noise" before the "breakneck shifts" or "sudden shifts from spacey to stomping" that cue "some of Queen's most garish moments" and a "curling solo", all of which "is strongly indicative of the breadth of song structures you'll hear on the Brian Eno-produced album".

I honestly couldn't pick this song out of a police lineup based on that description. Really, "Violet Hill" is about as dynamic as the Subway "Five Dollar Footlong" jingle. So much for the goodwill we thought MTV built based on yesterday's I Want My MTV.

http://earfarm.blogspot.com/2008/04/coldplay-blows-mtvs-mind.html

[busybeeburns]

http://wiki.coldplaying.com/images/e/eb/Another_one_from_the_heart.jpg

Coldplay: another one from the heart

After rumours of splits and strange musical experiments, Coldplay have ended their silence with a new album, produced by Brian Eno.

After an absence of two years, during which their record company EMI has changed hands and the future of the mainstream commercial music business has been cast into doubt, the biggest-selling rock band of the 21st century have returned to the fray.

Coldplay came in from the cold this week with a free digital download single, Violet Hill. Amid rumours that the group had forsaken populism for high-minded artistic experimentation, the wobbly synths that introduce the song may have caused fans (and EMI executives) a moment of anxiety.

But when Chris Martin starts singing, his stately piano rings out and the band pile in, it is business as usual. This is exactly the kind of song that has made them the defining group of our times, a gloriously catchy piece of epic melancholia.

There is almost a Seventies pop groove to the song, albeit crossed with a darker rock sensibility. It could be the Feeling with more feeling, or Wings taking flight into the lyrical ether.

There has always been something McCartney-esque about Martin's melodies and the band's harmonic style.

But there is something more, too. He conjures up Macca's old bandmate John Lennon with the line, "I don't want to be a soldier", but adds his own poetic twist: "Who the captain of some sinking ship would stow/down below/ If you love me, why'd'you let me go?"

The song is the lament of a fearful foot-soldier, remembering a moment's affection in a snow-covered place called Violet Hill. Like Lennon, Martin strives to get to the raw, emotional core of a song.

With its intimations of mortality, this is not a silly love song, it's a rumination on the futility and hypocrisy of religious conflict, wrapped up in a tune you can imagine vast crowds singing along to.

This is what their critics (and there have been many) dislike about Coldplay: their sincerity, populism and lack of irony. It annoys the same people who have an intense antipathy to U2. But Coldplay are unashamed fans of the Irish supergroup.

Martin once said: "Maybe it's because we were raised on reading U2 books, but there is no shame in joining the mainstream, of wanting the biggest possible platform for your views."

Sixteen million sales of 2002's A Rush of Blood to the Head and 10 million of 2005's X&Y (the biggest selling albums worldwide in their respective years) have certainly given them the platform they desired (even their 2000 debut, Parachutes, has clocked up more than four million).

The New York Times famously described Coldplay as "the most insufferable band of the decade", but the public apparently disagreed. Martin went from being a curly-haired geek to an international sex symbol, married to movie star Gwyneth Paltrow, with a brace of eccentrically-named children (Apple and Moses).

He appeared as a spokesman for the Fairtrade campaign, among other charitable concerns.

But when the group appeared at the 2006 Brit Awards to accept the gong for best album, Martin suggested that success had become a burden. "People are fed up with us and so are we," he said. "You won't see us at one of these for many, many years."

Rumours that the band were breaking up were quickly dismissed when Coldplay bought a mansion to convert into rehearsal and recording space in the desirable north London suburb of Hampstead. There did seem to be some truth to the notion that they were embarking on a period of experimentation, however.

"For a long time, people felt like we were a band in black and white, and now we feel like we can do whatever we like and try all kinds of new things," said Martin.

Leading US hip-hop producer Timbaland (most recently at the helm of Madonna's album) revealed that he was in discussions to produce Coldplay, tapping into Martin's love of urban music (he has written for Jamelia and collaborated with Jay Z and Kanye West).

It might have been intriguing, but it would have done little for the nerves of Guy Hands and his EMI investors, who must be hoping that another blockbuster from their most bankable stars will get EMI out of the hole.

In the event, it was to Brian Eno that Coldplay turned. Eno is renowned for his experimental work - solo, and with Roxy Music, David Bowie and Talking Heads - but he has also produced some of U2's most successful albums, including The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.

It would appear that it is this side of Eno that Coldplay tapped into. Martin said the group are still "obsessed with making songs that can be sung to the rafters".

The album's title, Viva La Vida, has unfortunate connotations of Ricky Martin. In fact the phrase, which means "Long live life", was spotted by Martin on a Frida Kahlo painting. "I loved the boldness of it," he has said.

In 2007, they road-tested material on a short South American tour. On a subsequent trip to Barcelona, they did some location recording in Catalan churches.

A post on the band's website claimed: "The sights, sounds and flavours of Latin America and Spain have definitely infused into this album." Having heard it myself, all I can say is that it must have infused so deeply you can't even taste it anymore.

Members of the music press were invited to playbacks this week, albeit only after agreeing to forgo detailed discussion of the content prior to its release on June 16. What I can say is that themes of death and resurrection are strongly present, apparently confirming a long-held suspicion that, like their heroes U2, there is a Christian element to Coldplay.

With a production that the band describe as "dense" with "melodies and colours packed into a relatively short space", Eno loads on the atmospherics and introduces plenty of rhythmic and sonic twists, but Martin's innate pop sensibility shines through.

If anything, the new Coldplay are brighter and more uplifting than ever. These are songs full of the kind of anthemic touches that will make people want to hold their mobile phones in the air.

If you liked Coldplay before, chances are you will like them still. If you couldn't stand them, block your ears now. They are going to be hard to escape.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/05/01/bmcold101.xml&DCMP=ILC-traffdrv07053100

[cpfan50]

Hope this hasn't already been posted:

Review from The Daily Telegraph (online at www.telegraph.co.uk in the 'arts' section)

Coldplay: another one from the heart
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 01/05/2008


After rumours of splits and strange musical experiments, Coldplay have ended their silence with a new album, produced by Brian Eno. Neil McCormick reports

After an absence of two years, during which their record company EMI has changed hands and the future of the mainstream commercial music business has been cast into doubt, the biggest-selling rock band of the 21st century have returned to the fray.


Coldplay came in from the cold this week with a free digital download single, Violet Hill. Amid rumours that the group had forsaken populism for high-minded artistic experimentation, the wobbly synths that introduce the song may have caused fans (and EMI executives) a moment of anxiety.

But when Chris Martin starts singing, his stately piano rings out and the band pile in, it is business as usual. This is exactly the kind of song that has made them the defining group of our times, a gloriously catchy piece of epic melancholia.

There is almost a Seventies pop groove to the song, albeit crossed with a darker rock sensibility. It could be the Feeling with more feeling, or Wings taking flight into the lyrical ether.

There has always been something McCartney-esque about Martin's melodies and the band's harmonic style. But there is something more, too. He conjures up Macca's old bandmate John Lennon with the line, "I don't want to be a soldier", but adds his own poetic twist: "Who the captain of some sinking ship would stow/down below/ If you love me, why'd'you let me go?"

The song is the lament of a fearful foot-soldier, remembering a moment's affection in a snow-covered place called Violet Hill. Like Lennon, Martin strives to get to the raw, emotional core of a song.

With its intimations of mortality, this is not a silly love song, it's a rumination on the futility and hypocrisy of religious conflict, wrapped up in a tune you can imagine vast crowds singing along to.

This is what their critics (and there have been many) dislike about Coldplay: their sincerity, populism and lack of irony. It annoys the same people who have an intense antipathy to U2. But Coldplay are unashamed fans of the Irish supergroup.

Martin once said: "Maybe it's because we were raised on reading U2 books, but there is no shame in joining the mainstream, of wanting the biggest possible platform for your views."

Sixteen million sales of 2002's A Rush of Blood to the Head and 10 million of 2005's X&Y (the biggest selling albums worldwide in their respective years) have certainly given them the platform they desired (even their 2000 debut, Parachutes, has clocked up more than four million).

The New York Times famously described Coldplay as "the most insufferable band of the decade", but the public apparently disagreed. Martin went from being a curly-haired geek to an international sex symbol, married to movie star Gwyneth Paltrow, with a brace of eccentrically-named children (Apple and Moses).

He appeared as a spokesman for the Fairtrade campaign, among other charitable concerns.

But when the group appeared at the 2006 Brit Awards to accept the gong for best album, Martin suggested that success had become a burden. "People are fed up with us and so are we," he said. "You won't see us at one of these for many, many years."

Rumours that the band were breaking up were quickly dismissed when Coldplay bought a mansion to convert into rehearsal and recording space in the desirable north London suburb of Hampstead. There did seem to be some truth to the notion that they were embarking on a period of experimentation, however.

"For a long time, people felt like we were a band in black and white, and now we feel like we can do whatever we like and try all kinds of new things," said Martin.

Leading US hip-hop producer Timbaland (most recently at the helm of Madonna's album) revealed that he was in discussions to produce Coldplay, tapping into Martin's love of urban music (he has written for Jamelia and collaborated with Jay Z and Kanye West).

It might have been intriguing, but it would have done little for the nerves of Guy Hands and his EMI investors, who must be hoping that another blockbuster from their most bankable stars will get EMI out of the hole.

In the event, it was to Brian Eno that Coldplay turned. Eno is renowned for his experimental work - solo, and with Roxy Music, David Bowie and Talking Heads - but he has also produced some of U2's most successful albums, including The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.

It would appear that it is this side of Eno that Coldplay tapped into. Martin said the group are still "obsessed with making songs that can be sung to the rafters".

The album's title, Viva La Vida, has unfortunate connotations of Ricky Martin. In fact the phrase, which means "Long live life", was spotted by Martin on a Frida Kahlo painting. "I loved the boldness of it," he has said.

In 2007, they road-tested material on a short South American tour. On a subsequent trip to Barcelona, they did some location recording in Catalan churches.

A post on the band's website claimed: "The sights, sounds and flavours of Latin America and Spain have definitely infused into this album." Having heard it myself, all I can say is that it must have infused so deeply you can't even taste it anymore.

Members of the music press were invited to playbacks this week, albeit only after agreeing to forgo detailed discussion of the content prior to its release on June 16. What I can say is that themes of death and resurrection are strongly present, apparently confirming a long-held suspicion that, like their heroes U2, there is a Christian element to Coldplay.

With a production that the band describe as "dense" with "melodies and colours packed into a relatively short space", Eno loads on the atmospherics and introduces plenty of rhythmic and sonic twists, but Martin's innate pop sensibility shines through.

If anything, the new Coldplay are brighter and more uplifting than ever. These are songs full of the kind of anthemic touches that will make people want to hold their mobile phones in the air.

If you liked Coldplay before, chances are you will like them still. If you couldn't stand them, block your ears now. They are going to be hard to escape.

--------------------------------

A good positive review in general, I think. A little Chris Martin heavy for my liking... not enough about the fact it's four people in the band, but I guess that is to be expected given he's the front man. A little bit more Jonny would have been my ideal! :wink3:

[cpfan50]

Here is another article from the BBC news website. Been on since yesterday in their entertainment section. Coldplaying.com gets a mention! :)

'Coldplay fans snap up free single'

Coldplay's album Viva La Vida or Death and all his Friends is out in June
There was "massive demand" for the new Coldplay single, available as a free download, which caused problems for some fans who rushed to hear it.
Violet Hill was made available from the band's website at 1215 BST on Tuesday.
A spokesman described the response as "incredible", adding: "Massive demand slowed everything down in the first 40 minutes of the download going live.
"But that was quickly fixed and Coldplay.com is delivering tracks to fans at full speed."
Violet Hill is the first material to be heard from the band's fourth album Viva La Vida or Death and all his Friends, which is out on 12 June.
In an online poll of 1,400 people on the Coldplaying fan site, some 60% gave the song nine or 10 out of 10.
The band are still to announce details of three free concerts - in London, New York and Barcelona.

[BigFatNoises]

some cool reviews

[Open, Politik]

Coldplay Violet Hill Single review: what is the verdict?
Topic: Music | April 29th, 2008 | By: Jim


The new single from Coldplay called Violet Hill was released today and is the first single from their upcoming album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. So what should we expect from the new album then? Well there are some stomping guitar chords which Chris Martin sings to perfectly and the great thing about the album is how hushed Martin’s vocals are.

The first single as I said is Violet Hill and starts off with a synthesizer that bubble away which then lends itself in guitar fuzz. It all starts of quietly and then slowly manages to fill the room, all the while we hear the background noise of white noise and if you don’t like it tough, as it is a bit of a theme on the whole album.

Then there are the vocals from frontman Chris Martin, he starts of singing about “a long and dark December/ From the rooftops I remember there was snow.” That’s when things then pickup and starts to stomp, it is a startling change from a whimsy start then to powerful pounding muscular guitar and piano chords.

However; it does not stop there the momentum seems to build and build until we reach the point where guitarist Jonny Buckland gives a guitar solo, Buckland then brings things down again with a smooth and sexy midsection with a little crooning from Martin in the background.

Violet Hill is a great first single from Coldplay’s new album, if you have heard the new single please let us know what you think.

[ansarob]

I suspect 99% of us, if not more, have this song on repeat and will for a while now. I live across the pond and have been busy with school and work, and didnt see anyting posted on there myspace, and feel like crap that I listened to the song a day later than 500k+ ppl. Oh well, still AMAZING!

[BethWhalley]

Oooooo the Drowned in Sound review made me soooo mad!!

"most of ‘Violet Hill’ is as earnestly heroic as you’d expect from Coldplay, (“I wanna be a soldier who a captain on some sinking ship would stow far below/if you love me, won’t you let me know?”)."

I'd finished writing a big reply about how it was actually I DON'T wanna be a soldier and how therefore the whole argument in the article was obselete, and then realised I had to sign up to the website which I wasn't going to do.

So I thought I'd release my annoyance on here instead :laugh3:

"Martin’s desire to be a martyr is let down by the lack of a tangible cause and as such his band’s new single sounds too suffocated and self-absorbed."

Grrrrrrr.

[x&y4ever]

very beautiful song!!!! well done guys:) chris 4ever!!!!!!!!!!!!

[busybeeburns]

http://popwatch.ew.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/01/coldplay_l.jpg

Free shows, free single — Coldplay is just feeling so free right now! Well, that single will only be free for another few days, so you'd better head to their website and snap it up while you still can. Of course, I filled out their form a couple days ago, twice, and I have yet to receive the magical email bearing "Violet Hill" in either my work or personal inbox... but assuming you can get your mitts on an MP3, what will you be getting into?

First off, Brian Eno's production has done these guys well. "Violet Hill" opens with a thin synth wash that's very Music for Airports, and proceeds from there to some droning, stabbing guitar textures that sound cooler than most any Coldplay tunes I can think of. Still, the songcraft itself feels lacking. The melody's fine, if nothing special; I can accept that Chris Martin may have spent up all his truly indelible melodies on the band's first few albums. But those lyrics! Surely even he knows how clunky the words he's singing these days are. (Forcing a slant-rhyme out of "December" and "cathedrals"? For real?)

Then again, Gwyneth thinks the whole album is "brilliant." And who am I to argue with her? You tell me — am I the only one left a little, er, cold by playing "Violet Hill"? And while we're at it, can anyone figure out what's up with that bizarre, Delacroix-jacking cover art?

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/05/coldplay-violet.html

[Saffire]

And while we're at it, can anyone figure out what's up with that bizarre, Delacroix-jacking cover art?

Hah, I think if Delacroix were alive today he'd be thrilled his artwork is still being put to use!

[busybeeburns]

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-04/38358875.jpg
IN DEMAND: Coldplay's new single is said to have been downloaded 600,000 times in 24 hours.

Coldplay may be going the way of U2 with one of that band's studio favorite co-producing the latest album.

In their most starry-eyed moments, partisans of Coldplay have envisioned the English band as a potential successor to U2's throne. Well, the group has taken at least a small step in that direction. Its new album "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends," which comes out June 17, was co-produced by Brian Eno, a principal player in U2's studio team.

The first single, which was released to radio and as a free (for one week) download on Coldplay's website Tuesday, is "Violet Hill," and while one track might or might not define the entire album, this one does send a signal that the group has broken out of an increasingly confining formula.

It opens with a slow-building orchestral/electronic mass, a meditative moment that's interrupted suddenly -- almost abruptly -- by Chris Martin singing an ominous line: "Was a long and dark December/ From the rooftops I remember there was snow, white snow."

Martin's everyman British voice is familiar, but it has a slightly different quality here, a twangy intonation and more biting attack. The guitar and rhythm section quickly rush in with a thick, almost sloppy sound and insistent, loping beat.

The effect is miles away from the polished, piano-based arrangements that made Coldplay one of the biggest bands in pop music earlier this decade.

But it was the emotion and urgency of its first two albums that positioned the London quartet as more than a huge-selling pop group. There was a sense of connection and inspiration that if fully realized might command the sweeping vision and deep-seated loyalty enjoyed by U2 and the few other rock institutions on that level.

But the recording of their third album, "X&Y," was plagued by uncertainty and false starts, and when it came out in 2005 it didn't find the same level of sales or acclaim. At their last major L.A. concert, at the Forum in 2006, they seemed to be at a crossroads, confined by their formula but stymied about how to proceed.

Hiring Eno apparently helped, assuming he and co-producers Markus Dravs and Rik Sampson were involved in designing the harder sound and coaxing the free-spirited performance.

But Martin also sounds more urgently involved as a singer and lyricist, conjuring a vivid yet elusive landscape of social upheaval.

Military and religious imagery entwine in the song, which evokes that wintry hell "when banks became cathedrals" and "priests clutched onto Bibles hollowed out to fill their rifles."

The group's management reported Wednesday that 600,000 downloads were ordered in the first 24 hours. The band will try to keep the momentum by playing free concerts in London and New York in June, followed by a North American tour this summer.

Artistically and in terms of response, it's a promising return. Maybe Coldplay has found what it was looking for.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-etcold0502,0,2346790.story

[RunForTheHills]

Thats a promising review. I'm glad that they're regaining at least some of their respect.

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

ooh, thanks everyone! i have to go back and read all of these now.

that last one says something about a north american tour this summer rather than the fall...eek. PLEASE don't play NYC/CT till mid august, PLEASE! :P

[busybeeburns]

So many of you have now heard the first single off of Coldplay's new record Viva Lavida. The did a great thing by having you submit your email then sending you a free download link. Unfortunately for me no link ever came to any of my three email addresses (configured to accept this mystery email).

My take is that Coldplay just doesn't like pasta...or maybe technology doesn't like pasta (that's more like it). So thanks to Audio Therapy I was able to obtain the track, though thoroughly let down by the CP website. That being said, the new track, Violet Hill, is pretty good and pleasantly different than most Coldplay tracks. It's got the standard sound, but with a Phil Collins sheen on it (don't knock Phil Collins). They really changed up their standard rhythms on this and went for a new direction with much success in my opinion. Check it for yourself.

http://pastaprima.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-happened-coldplay.html

[busybeeburns]

http://images.digitalspy.co.uk/08/18/120x120_coldplay_a_spell_a_rebel_yell.jpg

Today, after a wait of nearly three years, we've finally been treated to a new Coldplay tune. 'Violet Hill', the lead single from the band's upcoming Viva La Vida LP, has been available for download from Coldplay's official site since 12.15pm today. The price? A very generous 0p - thanks Chris!

Our verdict: it's a definite hit that fits snugly alongside the best material from their career. Built around Will Champion's tribal drum thumps and a swirling wall of guitars, producer Brian Eno has helped turn the band into the U2-style stadium conquerors that X&Y never quite managed. The usual piano tinkling, falsetto vocals and funky Jonny Buckland guitar solo are all present and correct, but, intriguingly, Chris Martin's lyrics seem to be more political than ever before. What could he mean by the future being "architectured" by a "carnival of idiots on show"? Hmm...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a94917/the-new-coldplay-single-is-it-any-good.html

[busybeeburns]

http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/coldplay-violet-hill.jpg

Well, they promised us different, and I can confirm that Coldplay have delivered something different. But is it good? Hell yeah.

Even speaking as a determined Coldplay hater, Violet Hill sounds dark, foreboding, and heavy. Less of the piano-sturbation, and Chris Martin retires the falsetto in favour of a more earthy vocal tone.

Violet Hill is a song rich in texture: fuzzed-up power chords, wailing string bends in the background, and some very atmospheric drumming from Will Champion. This most definitely rocks.

If this is a sampler of Coldplay’s new direction, then it’s certainly enough to persuade me to listen to the album. Unlike other Coldplay songs I’ve heard, this has balls.

Gentlemen…well played. Thumbs up.

http://music.unrealitytv.co.uk/coldplay-violet-hill-single-review/

[Stefan-C8]

Nice :)
Isn't there a pitchfork review, I wonder what they'll say? :P

[flyin_higher]

Overall mostly positive reviews so it seems. Nice work guys. Can't wait to hear the rest of Viva la Vida that's for sure :)

[ricardo]

my personal:
it's great and I love it

[polkahard]

Here's what Pitchfork had. It's not so much a review as an overview of the track. And while I wouldn't call it overwhelmingly positive, it shows a surprising lack of negativity nonetheless.

Coldplay posted the first single from fourth album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends on their website for free download earlier today. After an embarrassing number of refreshes (for me, anyway; by now you'll probably have better luck), "Violet Hill" fades in slowly, with more than 30 seconds of gently swelling ambience before Chris Martin's voice comes in over solitary piano. "It was a long and dark December," he begins, with all the ominous portent of that cover art, or at least a Counting Crows song. The guitars that join next are more feverish and distorted than we expect from Coldplay, softened a bit by clean acoustic strums, while the drums have the bombast of the third Oasis LP. Martin rises to his familiar falsetto on the chorus, asking an age-old question: "If you love me, won't ya let me know?" At the sparse outro, it all fades back to piano and Martin's voice again, still wondering about love, if not the revolution. Liberty without her shirt on this isn't, but "Violet Hill" still represents a slight departure for the quietly grandiose English rockers.

Maybe Pitchfork will start to like Coldplay? Who knows??

[RunForTheHills]

Yeah, this could be a turning point for that site. I get the feeling that they really wanted to say something clever about the song, but they couldn't really find anything. I would love to see them admit that they liked the new album more than they expected when it comes to their review of it. I also want to see a score of over 50% this time :dozey:

[Abigail]

I agree, this is completely refreshing for an avid coldplay fan to hear. I am so excited to hear the rest. I have listened to it more than 75 times and I'm still not sick of it! The constant bang that Johnny plays on the guitar and how in tune to the song Chris's vocals are make me listen to it every second. The song is unique yet expected of Coldplay.

[CRYSTAL]

i listened it so many times.

i must admit that there are these people who are really making the Coldplay and fans even though they are better to look sick.

but i never listened any other artists so much as Coldplay i do,
and even though i listen any other i'll never like them or say that they all
never impress me much as Coldplay that's all.

[busybeeburns]

http://weblogs.cltv.com/entertainment/tv/metromix/coldplay-thumb.jpg

COLDPLAY - "VIOLET HILL"

Whoa...are those distortion pedals and heavy beats I hear??! Coldplay's new single, "Violet Hill" is the first off of the upcoming 4th record 'Viva La Vida', which arrives on 17th June. My instant reaction is that for the first time, Coldplay is playing with a good bit of gumption.
Let's recap quickly: 'Parachutes' was a fine record, and played an integral role in the public's acceptance of the more delicate side of rock, and (thankfully) helped usher out the age of the Limp Bizkits of the world.
'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' was another batch of fine songs along those same lines, but by 2005's 'X&Y', the whole thing had gotten tired and boring.

Now we have this new tune. The beats have some meat to them, and the voice of Chris Martin is well served with the processing that is applied to it (Because let's face it, the guy's voice is nice, but has practically no range. The vocal effects here beef it up well).

To my ears, this song immediately harkens back to the mid-90's Britpop era of classic Oasis, or the beat-driven sound of The Charlatans during the middle of that band's career. These are groups that the members of Coldplay surely grew up listening to, and whose sounds they are now seemingly incorporating.

Also, this new Coldplay record was produced by the legendary Brian Eno, so that says a lot. Eno is best known for his time in Roxy Music and as the father of ambient music, but in more recent years as a top-notch producer. Trust me, you HAVE heard his production work, whether on 'Remain In Light' by Talking Heads, or on the David Bowie albums 'Low', 'Heroes', and 'Lodger', or most certainly on U2's 'The Joshua Tree'.

http://weblogs.cltv.com/entertainment/tv/metromix/2008/05/new_coldplay_single_available.html

[olipunker]

The first time I heard the song I was quite sceptical but now I love it!!!

I posted a poll on my website ActuRock http://acturock.affinitiz.com

It is in French but the question is: Do u like Violet Hill?

Here is the link:

http://affinitiz.com/space/acturock/content/nouveau-single-de-coldplay_78713AA1-6C90-4F00-B625-38E5D8E006D6

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

here's what rolling stone had to say in the newest issue (i hope no one's posted it yet, but i don't have the time to check...):

MUST HAVE--Coldplay, "Violet Hill"
Sad-sack Superstars get Angry and Crank Up the Rock

By all accounts, Chris Martin is a happily married man with two kids and an enormously successful career--so why does he sound so angry? On the first single from Coldplay's forthcoming album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Martin broods over a lost lover with a snarling acidity that makes him sound more human than ever--miles away from the dreamy romantic he was on soaring ballads like "Speed of Sound." "If you love me, why'd you let me go?" he sings in deep, longing tones, and it sounds like desperation. Throughout, Jonny Buckland rips jagged, bluesy riffs that match Martin's mood while drummer Will Champion and bassist Guy Berryman mantain a stalking beat. Coldplay have never been afraid to get gloomy, but for the first time in their career, they've turned bitterness into primal rock & roll.



it sounds like they like it! :dance:
however, it being RS, i have to say i'm a bit surprised that they didn't explore the potential political implications...hmm.

[busybeeburns]

ROCK
Violet Hill
Coldplay
EMI
****

Any Coldplay fans champing at the bit for some new music from them might find the first 40 seconds of their single Violet Hill a little frustrating, since it consists of nothing more than an ambient synth drone.

Once the piano chords and Chris Martin's voice kick in, however, there's little doubt about who is performing.

Taken from the upcoming album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, Violet Hill continues the English quartet's penchant for grand piano ballads, so prevalent on their last outing X&Y.

There are some subtle developments, however.

Martin's voice, still way out front and prone to that slip into falsetto, is slightly less fragile than before, while guitarist Jonny Buckland experiments with sounds that are more rock bluster than his customary Edge-like atmospherics.

The war-torn Violet Hill in question is likely to be the one in Hong Kong during World War II (Coldplay played HK in 2006) and tells the story of a soldier's dread of going into battle.

Whatever the influence, the sentiment of the song sits well with the band's familiar dynamic here, which suggests Coldplay have gone largely with an “if it ain't broke” philosophy for the new album, released on June 14.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23653565-5013575,00.html

[busybeeburns]

http://www.hecklerspray.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/coldplay.jpg

Hey everyone, Coldplay are back! Finally, drearily self-important, emotionally hollow stadium rock for people who don’t like music has a voice again!

To mark their return, Coldplay recently decided to release their new single Violet Hill as a free download. And apparently Violet Hill has now been downloaded by two million people eager to hear Coldplay’s Spanish-influenced, Brian Eno-helmed new direction.

Sadly there aren’t any figures for how many people only listened to Violet Hill once, rolled their eyes because it’s exactly the same as every other Coldplay song ever written and instantly deleted it from their iTunes library. We’re guessing it’s just a shade off two million.

The fastest way to get people excited by anything is to offer them something for free. People love free stuff. We’ve literally seen people arguing over a bag of horseshit in the past because it was free. And if they love horseshit they’ll go crazy for new music by Coldplay.

Now don’t get the wrong idea. We’re not comparing Coldplay to horseshit. It’s an unfair comparison to make because, well, everyone loves horseshit, don’t they? Anyway, we’re straying dangerously away from the point here, and that’s that last week Coldplay released their new single as a free download. And also that horseshit is better than Coldplay.

Violet Hill was the first taster from Coldplay’s new album Viva La Vida, and last Tuesday the band let the world download it for free. It was a smart move - a quick and easy way to remind people of their return, help diffuse the pressure of following up an album that was number one around the world and allow them to exorbitantly overcharge fans for concert tickets in future because it gave them that one song for free once, remember?

And, according to Coldplay, Violet Hill has been downloaded two million times since last Tuesday, which is apparently enough to outsell the entire top 40 four times over. Just imagine how many people would have downloaded it if it was actually good. The Telegraph reports:

In the first 12 hours, it was downloaded by 300,000 people, a figure which doubled overnight as other countries logged on to coldplay.com… Gennaro Castaldo, of HMV, said: “Coldplay will not have made a huge loss by giving away their first single because they are very much a group that connects with their fans via their album. The industry will be looking very carefully at how the album sells following their decision to allow their fans to downlaod the first single for free.”

Plus, don’t forget that giving away your first single for free means that you won’t look a clown when you’re inevitably beaten to number one by The Crazy Frog again.

Anyway, two million downloads in a week is a huge amount, but don’t be fooled by this whole ‘enough to outsell the top 40′ nonsense, because that’d only really work if the download was limited to people who live in the UK. The two million figure is worldwide, and that’s still good - but it means Violet Hill is not quite as popular as My Humps. And people paid for that. And it was My Humps.

Also, because it was free, you can’t expect everyone who downloaded Violet Hill to go and buy the new Coldplay album. In fact, if you start with two million and minus the number of people who just downloaded Violet Hill because it was free, then minus the number of critics who downloaded it out of professional obligation, then minus the people who downloaded it because they were curious to see if Coldplay had actually managed to make a good record and instantly deleted it because they obviously hadn’t, and what are you left with?

Chris Martin’s Mum. Good work, Mrs Martin! Keep making us proud!

http://www.hecklerspray.com/coldplay-single-downloaded-by-2m-enjoyed-by-far-fewer/200814035.php

[bart]

I am unsure if this one has been posted yet..
I got this from Digital Spy

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a95513/coldplay-violet-hill.html

Coldplay's decision to let the world have their new single for free seems like quite a canny business move. Since its first spin on the Jo Whiley show last week, two million people have decided to download the track, which, to put things into context, is four times more than the combined sales of last week's top 40. While the band haven't made a penny from it yet, they're sure to be quids in when their Viva La Vida LP is released in June.

The track has probably captured the collective imagination because it finds the band finally living up to their billing as a stadium-conquering outfit. 'Violet Hill' is far more intelligent and measured than anything from the group's last album, X&Y, which sounded too desperate to be a U2 record to be truly enjoyable. While Chris Martin does slip in a regulation falsetto refrain ("If you love me, why did you let me go?"), the gloominess of the rest of the lyrics mixed with some rumbling drums and muscular guitar chords from Jonny Buckland shows the band aren't afraid to test new waters on album number four. The result is a track that's good enough to justify its status as musical event.


(After note.. I have just seen your posting from DS Ian but this review is the offical one ! )

[maricircus]

here's what rolling stone had to say in the newest issue (i hope no one's posted it yet, but i don't have the time to check...):

MUST HAVE--Coldplay, "Violet Hill"
Sad-sack Superstars get Angry and Crank Up the Rock

By all accounts, Chris Martin is a happily married man with two kids and an enormously successful career--so why does he sound so angry? On the first single from Coldplay's forthcoming album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Martin broods over a lost lover with a snarling acidity that makes him sound more human than ever--miles away from the dreamy romantic he was on soaring ballads like "Speed of Sound." "If you love me, why'd you let me go?" he sings in deep, longing tones, and it sounds like desperation. Throughout, Jonny Buckland rips jagged, bluesy riffs that match Martin's mood while drummer Will Champion and bassist Guy Berryman mantain a stalking beat. Coldplay have never been afraid to get gloomy, but for the first time in their career, they've turned bitterness into primal rock & roll.



it sounds like they like it! :dance:
however, it being RS, i have to say i'm a bit surprised that they didn't explore the potential political implications...hmm.


do you know how many stars they gave it? (usually when they review singles, they rate them).

[busybeeburns]

http://www.defamer.com.au/images/2008/04/coldplay_whack.jpg

When Defamer Australia heard that Coldplay were giving away the first single from their new album away for nada, we were quick to assume it'd probably be rather rubbish. After all, their last album was coma-inducing (just ask Toni Collette), and whoever once pulled Chris Martin aside and informed him his falsetto was awesome and he should overuse it to a nauseating degree ought to be shot.

But guess what? Violet Hill is actually... dare I say it... surprisingly good! It took a couple of listens before I was convinced, and the bit where he sings "Clearly I remember..." made me immediately think of the lyric from Pearl Jam's Jeremy ("... picking on the boy") - something I blame on a recent car trip with my mother where we listened to Triple M for longer than I care to share right now - but eventually it grabbed me, especially the rather haunting refrain of "If you loved me, why'd you let me gooooo...".

Consider their last album's kick off single was Speed Of Sound, and you'll understand why this is a welcome return to some kind of form.

Hear it for yourself over at the band's MySpazz, if you haven't already been hit over the head with it.

But much,much better than Violet Hill is another track which is floating around from the new record, and it's called Viva La Vida.

I was hoping some wag on YouTube would have made a nice homemade clip for it already, but EMI has been pulling down tributes like Malcolm Fraser pulls down pants (erm, so they've done it at least once, as far as I can tell), so you'll have to make do with this gents' rendition of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO4u1eGs4Qk

Or maybe you'd prefer a cover group's efforts - they're known as the Coldplayers, for god's sake, so you know they're "enthusiastic" about the whole thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmBRBAuMmoU

And there you have it. Coldplay, you've shocked me. I am pleasantly impressed and happy to admit it publicly - c'mon, no one likes a coolsie dickhead who is too proud to admit they like something which might be unfashionable in the eyes of some, right? Right?

Right.

http://www.defamer.com.au/2008/05/quelle_surprise_the_new_coldplay_stuff_is_quite_go od.html

[Tonsu]

Thanks to everyone for posting the reviews, though it's really disheartening to read some terrible misconceptions and rotten old cliches trotted out time and time again.

Some interesting and valid points in some of the reviews though. And reading them all just now just makes me want to go back and listen to the song again, so I will!

My take on the song? It perplexed me at first, then I thought it was OK but far too short. After many more listens it very slowly and subtly caught up with me, to the point where I absolutely love it, and am just so excited to hear it live later this year. It's still too short, but it absolutely rocks.

Right, off for another happy listen :)

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

blurb about it in the latest rolling stone:

COLDPLAY: "Violet Hill"
For a few bars, the first single from CP's fourth album seems like it might be yet another piano ballad about space and stars and stuff. But it's actually a (relatively) hard-rocking attack on Fox News's America. Take that, Cavuto!