Coldplay

Still dominating the charts with Viva La Vida..., Coldplay release this EP of leftover tracks. Stadium scorcher "Glass of Water" and funky, string-heavy "Rainy Day" could easily have fit onto the original album, while "Prospekt's March" sounds like a lost cut from their Parachutes days. Two of Viva's best songs get rehashed: "Lost" features a weird interlude with Jay-Z rapping about how success is like suicide and "Lovers in Japan" is basically a shorter, more radio-friendly version. All in all, Coldplay have a winning formula, and this gives fans more of what they want.

This EP collects recordings from the sessions for Viva la Vida, Coldplay's most sonically
tricked-out record, but the new songs feel too conservative after Viva's world-music-laden
sprawl. Though "Rainy Day" finds Chris Martin crooning brightly over strings and swelling
electronics, the swooning "Glass of Water" feels heavy-handed, and the atmospheric
"Prospekt's March/Poppyfields" suffers from imagistic lyrics about "people talking... More >