At this point, Coldplay can sell records and tickets no matter what they do creatively. Fortunately, Viva La Vida, produced be legendary Brian Eno, is worthy of critical praise and reveals Coldplay's intentions to remain deserving of their worldwide popularity. True to form and expectation, the band's fourth album is musically resplendent and emotionally stirring, at times joyful and other times reveling in poetic melancholy, sometimes within the framework and lyrics of the same song. Encompassing themes of death and loneliness, as well as hope and renewal, the album is fluid, as their work tends to be. More along the lines of 2002's A Rush of Blood to the Head than their last album, X & Y, which was a little too soft, lovey-dovey and basically unexciting, Viva La Vida is full of life and love in ways that are sincere and heartfelt without being sappy. Avoiding the obvious route of songs like X & Y's "Fix You," the album inspires a range of emotions by way of prominent, continuing strings and unexpected twists and turns that are perhaps Eno's most essential contribution to Coldplay's already defined sound.

In all honesty, every song here is a gem. The album beings the way it ends, implying a conceptual approach that is ideal for repeat plays, as it loops back upon itself. "Life in Technicolor" opens Viva La Vida in much the way "Don't Panic" introduced us to Coldplay on Parachutes, bleeding seamlessly into "Cemeteries of London," which is charmingly bright and instrumentally lush, and encompassing hints of a deeper sadness. Choral shouts of "La la la la" give the song a sing-along feeling, as one conjurs up an image of unsettled ghosts wandering London graves together. "Lost" is musically and lyrically optimistic, and the band seems to have stepped up their percussion to make their overall sound more intense and interesting, burying Chris Martin's tremulous vocals (and whimsical backing voices) deeper into the swirling, richer-than-ever instrumentation. The piano, however, is still an essential element, especially on "42," which begins in a stripped-down fashion like old times, and is soon accompanied by gentle strings as Martin sings, "Those that are dead are not dead, they're just living in my head." Once you've settled your ears into the ballad, the strings pick up the pace and the song becomes an orchestral-meets-rock onrush. Martin emphatically sings, "You thought you might be a ghost/ You didn't get to heaven, but you made it close" as an electric guitar takes center stage, before the song slips back down to the piano.

"Lover in Japan / Reign of Love" is melodically John Lennon-esque and brilliantly composed, seemingly suspended with a reverberating glaze of guitars, cheerful piano, and surface-level baseline. The seven-minute "Yes" is the album's most epic and tells the story of an unraveling, as Martin's voice rises every time he sings, "I'm just so tired of this loneliness," and as violins run free until the track changes course and becomes noisier than expected. The title track and first single is typical Brit-pop Coldplay with a more profound underlying story (perhaps in conjunction with their album cover art), perfectly anthemic for large-scale shows and apparently commercials, though it shines with a charisma that far exceeds most commercial-ready songs. Their second single, "Violet Hill," which immediately follows "Viva La Vida" is dark and haunting, much the way "Trouble" followed "Yellow" on Parachutes. Hard-edged, distortion-heavy and rather loud, "Violet Hill" teems with anxiety as Martin begs, "If you love me, won't you let me know?" In typical Coldplay fashion, the song quiets down to the piano again, ending on a soft and sadly romantic note. Likewise, the closing track, "Death And All His Friends" begins in a hushed and delicate fashion, with the piano balancing Martin's voice. Similar to the closing track "Amsterdam" on A Rush of Blood to the Head, it rises and elevates to achieve an emotional effect and connect even more closely to listeners, who cannot react passively at moments like this. Like a surreal watercolor painting or perhaps a field of wild and unusual flowers, Viva La Vida leaves you feeling not quite calm, not quite secure, but certainly enraptured.

-Amy Dupcak