Coldplay: Prospekt's March EP

This eight-song set Prospekt's March—available as a

bonus disc with the newly repackaged Viva La Vida, or on its own via CD and

download—might seem like a holiday-time afterthought, but it actually

packs a solid punch of its own. It'd be easy to argue that it's more than a

companion to the flabby Viva; in some ways, it actually one-ups the "real"

album. First, though, the elephant in the room: Yes, Jay-Z offers a verse in

the midst of "Lost!" (called "Lost+" here), and it actually doesn't sound as

horrible as it sounds. His lyrics make sense alongside Chris Martin's ("And the

question is, is to have had and lost better than not having at all / Because

I'm…"), and the whole thing sounds planned rather than tacked on. Elsewhere on

the disc, Coldplay offers a version of Vida's instrumental "Life In

Technicolor" with lyrics—and it's clear this version should've made the

cut. The new song "Glass Of Water" sounds more immediate and striking than most

of Vida,

too, and "Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground" is the kind of acoustic weeper

that Coldplay should include at least once on every album. More than just a

quickie disc of extras, Prospekt's March actually stands as the sturdiest Coldplay

collection since A Rush Of Blood To The Head.