CD reviews: Coldplay and Katy Perry

Coldplay, "Viva la Vida" (Capitol)

Coldplay takes some of the formulas that have helped the band sell more than 30 million albums, bends them, twists them and toughens them up a bit. These Brits have definitely not lost their melodic gifts, however, as can be heard on the gorgeous and at times ghostly "Viva la Vida" or in the church-organ sounds of "Lost!"

After the brief, acoustic-tiered instrumental "Life in Technicolor," Coldplay quickly wheels into the Spanish flamenco-flavored "Cemeteries of London." It's not the first time the band ponders thoughts of death, with the most notable references occurring during the beautiful, piano-based song of hope "42." It blends into rocket blasts worth of surging guitars, and while the lyrics may be designed to provoke, the music throughout the album is artfully structured. "Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love" is an upbeat thriller with honky-tonk piano, while "Violet Hill" typifies Coldplay's taste for rich dynamics that dominate the disc.

By the time things wind down with "Death and All His Friends," the whole band joins together in singing, raging against the night, fighting the good fight.

Some bands still feel that music is more than disposable, that you can convey something meaningful within the exhilaration of the sound. And if more bands were crafting works as strong as "Viva la Vida," the album format would be as vibrant as it was decades ago.

KEVIN O'HARE, NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

Katy Perry, "One of the Boys" (Capitol)

Her ideas about gender and sexuality seem as situational as her highly amalgamated style. Hers is a neatly commodified kind of rebellion: looks from Dita von Teese, production by way of Britney Spears and Alanis Morissette, vocals à la Ashlee Simpson and Avril Lavigne.

For all that, Perry is curiously blank on her major-label debut album (in 2001 she released a moody, eclectic collection of Christian contemporary music). "Hot N Cold" shares a producer (the Swedish wizard Dr. Luke) and part of a chorus with Pink's hit "U and Ur Hand" but not its passion. "Waking Up in Vegas" is neither desperate nor exuberant nor naughty.

But Perry, who wrote every song here, has an easy way with melody and is best served by producers who give her room to emote. Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics) takes the helm on "I'm Still Breathing," a calm and certain obituary for a dead relationship. And "Thinking of You," produced by the underappreciated Butch Walker, is gently and compellingly angry. Turns out that feeling deeply is shocking enough.

Perry performs Aug. 3 at the Warped Tour in Shakopee.