Coldplay

Though Brian Eno’s knack for texture and ethereality shapes the latest incarnation of Coldplay, Chris Martin and company’s soft rock doesn’t get any less fluffy on their 2008 release, Viva La Vida. But the band has developed from weepy, sentimental ballads (such as “Yellow”) to weepy, sentimental ballads bolstered by distorted guitars and plodding drums (such as “Violet Hill”). The London four-piece has achieved international stardom for its accessibly artsy tunes, and continues to play up the bombast by copping the album’s title from a Frida Kahlo piece and the disc’s art from iconic French painting “Liberty Leading The People.”

Updated 05/14/2009