The 50 Best Albums of 2008

7

Coldplay VIVA LA VIDA OR DEATH AND ALL HIS FRIENDS Capitol

During the sessions for Viva la Vida, Chris Martin consulted a hypnotist to help with the pressure of writing the Great American Rock Album. And it worked. Coldplay got ambitious, calling in Talking Heads and U2 producer Brian Eno, drawing on exotic instruments like Indian tablas and the Persian santur, writing about world events instead of their own feelings, and making music as far-reaching as their global fan base. They ended up with an album that's massively expansive yet intimate enough to incite lighter-waving from London to Tokyo.

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