Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Bland stadium rock, a lead singer who if he isn't a vegan looks like he should be and the bloody song "Yellow".

Oh, and "X & Y", which was just over-produced rubbish.

As you might guess I'm not the biggest Chris Martin fan in the world.

Coldplay seem to me to be a watered down version of U2 / Radiohead.

There is plenty of passion there but it comes across as a whining, weedling shriek that is pathetic, not painful.

The first listen of Viva La Vida seemed to confirm my worst suspicions.

It meanders, tries to be a bit like Radiohead then tries to be a bit like U2.

Chris Martin wails a bit but mercifully it's only 10 songs long.

Another improvement on the last album is the fact that the first track, Life In Technicolour, is an instrumental, so we're spared any wailing for a few minutes at least.

The frustrating thing about Coldplay is that when they get it right, their music can be truly beautiful.

"Fix You" on the last album was a beautiful ballad from a father to his daughter.

On this album Violet Hill, Cemetaries of London and 42 are all cracking songs, but the rest are best listened to on mute.

And we should be thankful for small mercies - it's not as bad as Keane.

IK