Before kicking off the "Viva La Vida" tour, Coldplay will play free concerts in London (June 16th at the Brixton Academy) and New York (June 23rd at Madison Square Garden). Information on how to win tickets to these shows will be available at http://www.coldplay.com beginning today. The contest will run May 9th through June 1st. Winners will receive notification on June 5th.

Viva La Vida, Coldplay's upcoming album, will be released by Capitol Music Group on June 17th. Produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs, the record is the follow-up to 2005's X&Y, which debuted at #1 in 32 countries and has sold 10 million copies worldwide to date.

The album's lead single "Violet Hill" was downloaded by two million people during the recent one-week period in which the band made the song available to fans for free. It is now for sale at all digital retailers and is quickly rising to the top of the charts at Modern Rock and AAA radio. Coldplay will perform "Violet Hill" on the "TODAY" show on NBC on Friday, June 27th. Fans are encouraged to check out the performance in person. Viewing is on a first-come, first-served basis outside the show's Window on the World Studio, located at 49th Street and Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. The band will also perform on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on June 26th.

"[Lead singer Chris] Martin broods over a lost lover with a snarling acidity that makes him sound more human than ever - miles away from the dreamy romantic he was on soaring ballads like 'Speed of Sound,'" said Rolling Stone, naming "Violet Hill" a must-have in a recent "Downloads" column. "Jonny Buckland rips jagged, bluesy riffs that match Martin's mood while drummer Will Champion and bassist Guy Berryman maintain a stalking beat primal rock & roll." The Los Angeles Times pronounced the single a "promising return," also marveling at its harder edge.

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