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From the beginning, U2 aspired to profound ecstasy. But it took Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. a while to get there. Two of U2’s first three albums are undeniable classics: 1980’s precociously magnificent Boy for its proudly spiritual optimism in the thick of post-punk nihilism and for the Edge’s reveille-treble guitar; 1983’s War for its arena-rock muscle tone (honed over three years of touring) and the matured blend of soldier’s ardor and pop wile in the singles “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day.” But those albums were transitional achievements on the way to the complete victory of The Joshua Tree and U2’s brassy Berlin-techno makeover on Achtung Baby, and the second discs in these deluxe reissues — including the rushed, middle runt of the litter, 1981’s October — are honest, Read the rest of this entry »

Coldplay’s fourth release has been billed as their experimental record, as well as their political record. And it is both, relatively speaking. Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends opens with an anthemic riff played not on guitar but on a Persian santur — a hammered dulcimer common to the traditional music of Iraq and Iran. The album’s lead single, “Violet Hill,” describes a scene in which “priests clutched onto Bibles/Hollowed out to fit their rifles.” Half the album’s tracks float images of war, while others evoke God, religion or death.

Fun, right? It is, weirdly enough. Viva la Vida is Coldplay’s effort to raise the creative bar in the wake of both huge commercial success and some Read the rest of this entry »