i absolutely adore Chmartin's sneaky grin and smiling eyes in this one. and Gberryman's gorgeous boyish face with traces of a goatee- oh bb you're too squish-worthy. Just like paolo ferreira is for kel (hullo kel!)with release of their new album though, Chris comes across as less cheeky and more bono-esque, SAVE THE WORLD one song at a time (but i still love you, as i do bono)
ok the point of this post is to gush about their latest track aka 2nd single off Viva La Vida (or Death and all his friends). It's called "Viva La Vida" (translation: Long Live Life) Long Live Life indeed. This track gives me goosebumps, just like Bittersweet Symphony everytime I hear it, and Fix You..the only two songs that can STILL do that for me.
It's the violins and cello. The intense violins start the track, then they build and become "sweeping violins" and then they quieten down to complex patterns and then they in rilievo during the chorus, repeat and then BAM! The arrangement is fantastic, you can barely hear guitars, its almost as if the violins are carrying the song. And i swear to God i heard church bells in the mix. I guess it goes with the biblical theme of the lyrics..which read like a miss chua choice of poem, honestly. Ozymandias was it? yeah, that's what came to mind immediately- probably cos of the line "And I discovered that my castles stand/ Upon pillars of salt, pillars of sand". But the songs isn't supercilious- cos the persona in the song acknowledges that "I know that St Peter won't call my name". Ozymandias has got to be my fave poem that miss chua intro-ed us to.
ok back to the song. Its almost like U2's Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, but not as dark and menacing? Quite the contrary, it's rather epic sounding and we'll-conquer-the-world. Revolutionary's the word! Well that's probably cos of the Jerusalem and Roman Cavalry bits in the lyrics which COMPLETELY mess with me, convoluting the already heady mixture of battlescape scenes and marching armies that i'm imagining. Plus the cover art of the album by Delacroix depicts the French Revolution.
It builds and builds with the p-p-pounding of a bass drum and this intense cello bassline.. finally, it bursts in a glorious crescendo of Chmartin woah's. Its like fireworks and aurora borealis-es all at once and!! oh!! its just makes me want to close my eyes and have a sufi-esque spiritual moment..and raise my hands to the heavens as the music washes over me
Coldplay's music is an incredibly spiritual experience for me. Its very out of body and transcendental.. almost liberating. I haven't felt that way about any other band's body of work before- except at live gigs? Like when i heard Linkin Park's Crawling or Muse's Butterflies and Hurricanes piano solo. No lah, i'm quite sure Coldplay takes the cake. Even U2's music doesn't consistently give me chills- besides "City Of Blinding Lights". With coldplay its trouble, shiver, spies, daylight, fix you and now viva la vida.
i can't wait for the album. COME ON release it already!!
i live to peel open the plastic off a brand new cd excitedly, slip it in my sound system lovingly, lay on my bed, flip through the album art and lyrics, and give it a first listen all the way through in order. Then i'll have the album on loop in my player as i head to sleep at night, and sort of sleep learn the music. hypnopaedia ya'll. so there's the concious and unconcious perusal of the music.
OZYMANDIAS
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
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