Coldplay - Violet Hill Format: Single Release Date: 29th Apr 2008 Label: Parlophone Rating: This is the brand new Coldplay single, "Violet Hill", self released for free on their website! Just recieved my download and have had a few listens and this is a good catchy song! One thing I have instantly noticed is that this tune is a lot more stripped down than the previous "X & Y" album, perhaps hinting at a return to their "Parachutes" sound. The song is piano lead, as quite a few of their past singles have been, with some looming synth and atmospheric tremelo picked guitar fading into the background here and there. There is also a cool funky guitar riff that finds its way into the song which works really well! Chris performs a strong and convincing vocal performance using reverb to give a ghostly effect. Ambient pioneer and legendary producer Brian Eno is behind the switchboard on the whole of their forthcoming album, tentitively titled "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends". This is a great taster for the new album. It's good to see them varying their sound a bit more and shortening the track lengths, as I found that the last album ended up getting overlong and boring, with too many multilayered synths. Even though this is a lot more stripped down it still has a very anthemic quality and will prove to be one of their great sing-a-long songs. Turns out that the simplest ideas just might be the ones that work best, and "Violet Hill" sure is the proof! To download the single for free, go to http://www.coldplay.com/song.html

Written by: Frenchie