Hits 23: Another Comeback, Another Letdown

As many of you may know by now, Coldplay are offering up their new single for free for one week only (starting April 29). "Violet Hill" is the lead-off track lifted from their ridiculously-titled fourth album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Due out this June, the album is produced mostly by Brian Eno, the result of many months of recording and revision. "Violet Hill" gets a traditional download release next week, alongside a strictly-limited 7" packaged with the upcoming issue of NME magazine.

I love, love, love Coldplay. I caught on around A Rush of Blood to the Head and by now probably have most of their songs committed to memory. I even drove an hour on a school night to see them on their Twisted Logic tour, despite my mediocre seats. That said, I can't say I'm all that impressed by "Violet Hill." It lacks a solid tune, I've already forgotten the chorus (was there one?) and it doesn't really seem to go anywhere. It's nice enough, and wouldn't be too bad as album filler, but as a first single? Props to them for changing up their sound a bit though; the track is definitely darker in tone and Chris Martin's voice is outside its usual range. I get that they're trying to evolve as a band and seem less pretentious and complacent with their success, but that doesn't mean they should abandon what made them great! That said, I'm still anxiously anticipating the new album and will without a doubt be listening to it as soon it hits stores (or the internet, but I'll still be buying of course!). Somehow it seems like a trend lately of my favorite artists coming back with underwhelming first singles. First, Kylie failed to excite with "2 Hearts," a track that lost its luster over time and was outshone by the entire rest of the X album. More recently, Madonna's comeback "4 Minutes," while still a pretty good track, failed to compare to her past lead-off singles and ended up paling in comparison to much of Hard Candy. Here's hoping that Coldplay can match the precedent of the two pop icons by following up a less-than-stellar first single with a solid album.

Download: Coldplay, "Violet Hill" [YSI] (from Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends)

Links: Coldplay's website | NME magazine + 7" pre-order

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