"We reached the stage where we thought, 'We can't get much bigger, so we have to try and get better.'"

So said Chris Martin on The Hour last week, explaining Coldplay's state of mind going into their fourth album.

Well, lots of bands talk that talk. But these Brit-Rockers actually walked the walk. They set up a rehearsal space/clubhouse to work casually and undisturbed. They brought in visionary producer/guru Brian Eno -- known for his work with U2 -- who reportedly made them switch instruments and jam every day to get their juices flowing. And most importantly, they tore up their rule book, slowly and painstakingly rebuilding their music from the ground up.

It shows. On Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay aren't just better; they're the best they've ever been. And the most original. On these 10 songs, the band -- Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berriman and drummer Will Champion -- dispense with cliches and go with their guts. Big choruses and crescendos are few and far between. Songs flow organically, often shifting in midstream. Guitars and drums are swapped for strings and Middle Eastern percussion. Martin's swooning falsetto is deployed sparingly. And his big-picture lyrics -- which juxtapose life and death, rags and riches, right and wrong, love and revolution -- are poetic and less personal (not to mention far less wussy).

Striking early singles like Violet Hill and Viva la Vida hinted at the greatness. The full album -- which hits stores next Tuesday but is already streaming on the band's MySpace page after leaking all over the Internet -- confirms it. Maybe that's why their label EMI is reportedly counting on the CD to single-handedly fill their drained coffers. Maybe they're right; Viva la Vida is the biggest-selling pre-order in iTunes history, and the subsequent tour is guaranteed to be one of the year's hottest tickets.

Looks like Martin was wrong. They can get bigger after all.

Life in Technicolor 2:29

Nothing says change like opening your album with a grand instrumental full of glistening electronica arpeggios and Indian percussion.

Cemeteries of London 3:21

It starts off a fittingly moody waltz haunted by chiming U2ish guitars -- then kicks up a notch with double-time drums and syncopated handclaps that add a vaguely Celtic feel.

Lost! 3:55

Between the big stomp-and-clap beat, the ringing church organ and Martin's lyrics about faith and perseverance, this is the Coldplay equivalent of gospel music.

42 3:57

"Those who are dead are not dead / They're just living in my head," croons Chris over a Lennonesque piano and sweeping strings -- which soon give way to a funky, angular beat topped with a swooping melody. If Radiohead remixed Imagine, it might sound like this.

Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love 6:51

The first part of this twofer is a shimmery, slow-burning anthem that recalls When the Streets Have No Name. The second half is more like a minuet, thanks to an elegant, echoing piano.

Yes / Chinese Sleep Chant 7:06

Another two-headed cut, this opens with a midtempo tabla groove, graced with dramatic strings and a lazily husky vocal. It closes with the disc's most rocking passage: A blast of propulsive shoegazer rock driven by thundering drums and slashing guitars, with Martin's falsetto floating over top.

Viva la Vida 4:01

You've seen the 30-second iPod ad. The full song is even better. Lush strings, a pumping bass drum, a tympani flourish and a tolling bell turn Martin's tale of a fallen king into an anthem for the Coldplay nation.

Violet Hill 3:42

Credit Eno for the icy, ambient opening. But credit the band for the thumping beat and searing, fuzzed-out guitar licks that add a wallop to this piano ballad.

Strawberry Swing 4:08

A looping and lilting acoustic guitar and some earthy percussion create a breezy ambiance that's probably as close as these guys will ever get to folk music.

Death and All His Friends / The Escapist 6:18

A last waltz? Nope. We start with Martin at his piano -- but before long, syncopated guitars and punchy drums intrude and take the song into the stratosphere. Then it all comes full circle, returning to the electronica instrumental that opened the disc -- this time with a brief vocal.