Coldplay: 'Violet Hill'

Coldplay's decision to let the world have their new single for free seems like quite a canny business move. Since its first spin on the Jo Whiley show last week, two million people have decided to download the track, which, to put things into context, is four times more than the combined sales of last week's top 40. While the band haven't made a penny from it yet, they're sure to be quids in when their Viva La Vida LP is released in June.

The track has probably captured the collective imagination because it finds the band finally living up to their billing as a stadium-conquering outfit. 'Violet Hill' is far more intelligent and measured than anything from the group's last album, X&Y, which sounded too desperate to be a U2 record to be truly enjoyable. While Chris Martin does slip in a regulation falsetto refrain ("If you love me, why did you let me go?"), the gloominess of the rest of the lyrics mixed with some rumbling drums and muscular guitar chords from Jonny Buckland shows the band aren't afraid to test new waters on album number four. The result is a track that's good enough to justify its status as musical event.