Just recieved the album this morning and I was blown away. It's the only album on my itunes with all tracks rated with 5 stars except one. (which recieved 4 stars!) X&Y was a major disappointment but this is the best album ive heard all year and is by far Coldplay's best work to date. Ive got tickets to see them perform live in september and after listening to this album i cant wait for september to come.

A very confident sounding album with enough risks taken to push the band further into new territory. What I liked most about this album was the departure from traditional pop song formula, even if it's only a mild detour. I've noticed a few of the reviews remark 'If this album was created by a band other than Coldplay it wouldn't be nowhere nearly as well received'. Well I'd like to turn that statement on it's head, if this album was created by any other band other than Coldplay there would be less negative comments.... Victims of their own success I guess.

Highly recommended, a great album, one that grows in stature after a repeated listens.

A return to form from the band I once loved. Ver different to XY and back to the much better style of Parachutes and a Rush of Blood to the Head

This new album is better than the last effort X&Y. This is due to the production or should I say, producer. However, production is both this album's strength and weakness.

For even though Brian Eno lifts the band's sound out of the ordinary and takes them places they haven't been before, quite what the need is to add ambient interludes/reprises at the end of 5 of the songs on this album is beyond me. It ends up making what could have been a truly great album overlong and gives the impression of a lack of focus and coherence. The only reason for this may be that with two closing tracks as weak as 'Strawberry Swing' and 'Death and All His Friends' they were looking to pad the length out a little.

The quality of songs like 42, Yes, Violet Hill, Lost and the title track are beyond question but how on Earth they let Eno persuade them to strip the vocals off the otherwise-superb opening track Life In Technicolor is beyond me. One would hope that the original version surfaces on an Anthology-type album in 10-20 years time!!

All in all a step forward but with more prudent editing this could, and should, have been a hands-down all time classic.

i think this album is a much better album than x and y and love most songs on this album and think that some people who have givin this album less than 3 stars have no idea what they are talkin about!!!

i at first hated this album but after about 4 or 5 times listening to the album , i absolutley love it. i listen to it about 3 times a day at work now.

so just give the album a chance

another great album from coldplay, i felt slightly let down by X&Y where the album just sounded too electronic and many of the song were forgettable, but this album is full of catchy tunes that will stay with you for days. especially the very grand sounding Viva La Vida. A definate buy for any coldplay fan!

This is a slow burner - the immediacy of old (and sometimes this makes it stale after a short while for me) has largely gone. Strong songs, a shift in direction and good production make this a must - as if they need the plug!!

You have heard them all, enjoyed the first album cos it was a little bit different to everything else at the time but they all sound the same now. If you had all there songs on your ipod and shuffled the songs you would think it was all from the same album. Bit like Travis was!

I really wanted to like this,i wanted to put my preconceptions behind me, after all "Parachutes"was a fine album.
Coldplay are running the risk of becomming boring,this album is Coldplay by numbers,they are predictable,pleasant enough but boring,this will sell millions it will also bore milloins,the music is mid paced and formulaic,radio friendly and inoffensive.which sums up the whole of Coldplays attitude at the moment.