Who is going to write the next Great Rock Epic? You know, the next sweeping, grandiose epic that fills stadiums, dominates pop radio, sells millions of copies to people who don't even typically care about rock music, and gets remembered as one of the greatest pop culture events of its decade. I'm next St. Peppers, Born To Run, Joshua Tree, Automatic For The People, OK Computer, etc.
Right now, few bands seem to be trying. The Killers tried with Sam's Town, but their songwriting definitely wasn't there yet. The Arcade Fire don't have the popularity yet; otherwise, either of their albums would qualify. Who's going to make the next Great Rock Epic?
Coldplay. They've already come close with their last two records, and now they have more popularity, more money, and Brian Eno to help. Where as lesser bands might have buckled with the expectations of being the world's biggest band (as Dave Matthews did repeatedly), Coldplay just delivered their best record.
After a building instrumental intro, Chris Martin's voice creeps in before "Cemeteries Of London" takes off with ringing guitars and a flamenco rhythm. The album peaks with "Lost!", a organ and hand clap gospel that sounds like it was sung from a cathedral with the Arcade Fire.
This album has no weak tracks. "Lovers In Japan" sounds like Chris playing piano alongside an old U2 record. Is shares a track with "Reign Of Love", one of his best lullabies, with perfect timing as an interlude in the middle of the album. "Viva La Vida", with its soaring, majestic vocals, is probably the best thing you will ever hear grace an iPod commercial.
I don't understand why people hate this band so much. Yes, they are rich, famous, and politically pretentious, but they are always reaching forward and are yet to put out a bad record. We'll need a few years to decide if this is the next Great Rock Epic. Right now, it's just an amazing album.
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