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New direction: lead singer Chris Martin is moving Coldplay away from the over-polished anthems of X&Y

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Coldplay aren't boring anymore

Chris Martin won't be sleeping well right now. The leader of Coldplay, arguably the biggest band in the world, is currently in the middle of the most agonising part of his job — letting strangers hear his new material for the first time.

Coldplay's fourth album arrives next week with the grandiose title Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. While its name and Delacroix painted sleeve have gravitas, otherwise it has the air of a band trying hard to pretend that they are not EMI's cash cow.

They recorded it in a Hampstead studio called The Bakery, which conjures images of a modest cottage industry rather than the high-pressure manufacture of an album expected to dominate the year's chart (as did its 10 million-selling predecessor, X&Y). Alongside Markus Dravs, producer for Arcade Fire, sat Brian Eno, known for his unorthodox methods of coaxing new sounds out of established acts such as U2, Talking Heads and David Bowie.

Coldplay tried everything from hypnotism to Eno's “Oblique Strategies” —a series of cards containing cryptic instructions such as “Honour thy error as a hidden intention” — in an effort to move away from the overpolished, lyrically vague anthems of X&Y. Although the public loved that album, the band now edge more towards the critics' view that it was the sound of an empty stadium, gigantic and pointless. Martin's comment at the 2006 Brit Awards — “We won't see you for a very long time.

We've got a lot of work to do” — hinted that he knew a new direction was essential to stay in the same game as the huge but artistically respected bands he loves such as Radiohead and REM.

All of which warned of a daring but dull left turn like Radiohead's Kid A, or a moment of madness such as Robbie Williams's Rudebox. EMI boss Guy Hands will not be the only one relieved to find Viva la Vida is nothing of the sort. It's the same band but more interesting.

The 13 songs (divided into 10 tracks, to make them better value as downloads) nudge at rather than stride towards new directions, never cutting loose from the old mooring of strong melody. Nothing will scare off even the most casual fan, though in several places the band are bold enough to mess with their most obviously appealing facet — Martin's tearjerking voice. On Yes, he sings an octave lower than usual over swirling gypsy strings. Chinese Sleep Chant dares to obscure his vocals altogether, blurring them beneath a whoosh of echoing guitar that sounds like the shoegazers My Bloody Valentine.

They stray from the usual verse-chorus-verse structure on the three-part 42, which sounds like their own piano ballad Trouble, then launches into a dramatic Radiohead-style guitar breakdown, before settling into a poppy jangle that recalls The Strokes. Lost! mimics the hip hop beats that Martin must have picked up in recent collaborations with Jay-Z and Kanye West, while Strawberry Swing shimmers sweetly with African highlife guitars.

Lyrically, Martin still veers between crushing self-doubt and warm reassurance, rarely coming up with a genuinely striking line. Predictably, the man who recently walked out of an interview when one too many questions was asked about his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, never obviously refers to her in song, although lyrics such as “Without you it's a waste of time” in Strawberry Swing might touch on her and their young family.

Most impressively, on their most varied album to date, Coldplay are no longer afraid to sound small. Reign of Love, just voice, twinkling piano and wispy ambient sounds from Eno, is among the most beautiful songs they have composed. Viva la Vida's lack of obvious anthems may also end up making them a smaller band sales-wise — but they're definitely a stronger one, too.

Remembering Bo, grandmaster of the rhythm

Like fellow rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley spent much of his career writing the same song over and over — but what a song it was. Lifted from Africa, that bom-babom-ba-bom, ba-bom-bom rhythm became his own, going on to appear in hits by everyone from Buddy Holly to Bruce Springsteen. The great man's death from heart failure at 79 this week makes it an appropriate time to look back at some musical highlights, all available in download stores.

Bo Diddley (1955) The first of many with his own name in the title, his debut single is 62nd in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of all Time and sees him singing of private eyes and nanny goats over a tubthumping beat.

I'm a Man (1955) Perhaps now better known in its incarnation as Muddy Waters's Mannish Boy, the self-penned B-side of Diddley's first single is a pure blues howler and just as much of a classic.

Pretty Thing (1955) Rough harmonica and Diddley in romantic mode, the song inspired Sixties beat group The Pretty Things to name themselves after it.

Who Do You Love (1956) A squalling slice of raw boastfulness in which the singer claims to have “a cobra snake for a necktie”, a house made of rattlesnake hide and a human skull chimney. Impressive.

Mona (1957) Another fine example of Diddley's favoured rhythm. Though he never enjoyed a major UK hit, this was a number two hit in 1990 for Craig McLachlan, aka Henry from Neighbours.

A Wake For Bo Diddley featuring The Pretty Things is at the 100 Club, W1, tonight (020 7636 0933).

NEW ON THE NET

It's now more important for a band's video to look good on a small, fuzzy YouTube screen rather than an HD 50-incher, so Weezer have created the ultimate YouTube hit to accompany their new single, Pork and Beans. It's a mash-up of two dozen cult internet hits, featuring “Numa Numa” guy, the staring prairie dog, and the “Leave Britney alone” fellow getting a hug. Type “Pork and Beans” into YouTube to see the video, or “let's write a sawng” to help moustachioed Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo compose another hit.

Many would say hardcore clubbers are already in an alternate reality, now they've got something to do while they're there. At www.thewhiteisland.com, an alternate reality game has begun, an interactive mystery involving Pete Tong's missing tunes and the hunt for a girl called Elizabeth.

Giving away your music continues to be a more sensible financial move for established acts who can attract more people to gigs, rather than unknown bands. Former Stranglers man Hugh Cornwell is the latest to take the plunge, making his new lo-fi album Hoover Dam available free on Monday at www.hooverdamdownload.com.

 

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