Coldplay Prospekt's March EP Review
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends Deluxe Edition + New Songs
Nov 26, 2008
It’s easy to gripe about artists wanting to cash in on Christmas season by releasing new product days before American Thanksgiving (typically the kick off to the biggest shopping season of the year).
In the case of Coldplay’s Prospekt’s March, however, the new EP contains mostly original material with a few revamped tracks from their latest album, and not simply remixed versions of tracks from Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.
Life in Technicolor
Produced by Markus Dravs, Brian Eno and Rik Simpson, the EP contains tracks partially recorded but not completed in time for inclusion on Viva la Vida, as well as tracks the band deemed too un-Coldplay-like to feature on the main album. While these 8 tracks mark a slight departure for the band, they hardly constitute a radical change in musical direction.
Some tracks such as “Glass of Water”, a live staple, show a heavier side to the band – louder guitar and pounding piano sprinkled with electronic sound effects. Meanwhile “Rainy Day” displays Coldplay’s funkier side, incorporating the best aspects of U2’s “Lemon” from Zooropa blended with powerful strings, a humming vocal and effortless fun. “Rainy Day”, despite its thin lyric, goes down as one of the best records the band has created to date.
Like Viva la Vida, Prospekt’s March begins with the now familiar (to the millions of fans who own the original release) upbeat guitar and piano chime opening “Life in Technicolor”. On part two, the song includes lyrics about how the world has become a violent place. Lead singer Chris Martin promised fans that the instrumental heard on Viva la Vida was indeed a full song and the band truly delivers.
Lost + With Jay-Z
With the exception of the unnecessary instrumental, “Postcards from Far Away”, the first half of the EP displays Coldplay at their most innovative while the second half returns to more familiar ground.
“Prospekt’s March / Poppyfields”, a dawdling guitar track, draws comparisons to the Parachutes years and “Now My Feet Won’t Touch the Ground” with its simple voice and acoustic guitar could have easily replaced “Green Eyes” on Rush of Blood to the Head.
New single, “Lost +”, included here in its third incarnation (the first two, “Lost!” and “Lost?” appear on Viva la Vida), while equally as touching, sounds exactly like the original album version, with the exception of the distracting guest rap by Jay-Z who pays Martin back after the latter appeared on Jay-Z’s latest album. While the rap adds absolutely nothing, it makes an interesting stretch for Coldplay – who’d have imagined a rap on previous efforts “Clocks” or “Yellow”?
The single version of “Lovers in Japan” rounds off the album, which also includes the Anton Corbidjn version of the video for “Viva la Vida” in its iTunes version.
Glass of Water
While the EP was designed as an addition to compliment Viva la Vida, Prospekt’s March works equally well as a stand alone version. Luckily for the legions of fans who already own the album, the EP can be purchased separately or as part of a deluxe re-packaging of Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.
Prospekt’s March EP, available now, makes a great addition to the Coldplay library or serves as a satisfying introduction to a band at the height of its creativity.
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