Q: What do Coldplay and the Japanese rock group Dragon Ash have in common?

Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.

A: Not much, but both have used the painting Liberty Leading the People by French artist Eugene Delacroix as the basis for an album cover. In an announcement that also included the promise of a free single and two free shows, the UK rockers unveiled the album artwork for Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends today on their Web site.

The cover for Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, which hits stores June 12, is based on the famous painting that is currently housed at the Louvre in Paris. It depicts Marianne, the symbol of the French nation, brandishing a bayonet-adorned musket and commemorates the July Revolution of 1830. Dragon Ash featured a similar painting on the cover of its 1999 album, Viva La Revolucion.

French revolution-themed album covers notwithstanding, Coldplay plans to offer up the album's first single for free. "Violet Hill" will be available as a free download from the band's Web site starting tomorrow (April 29) at 7:15ET. The song will be up for one week, at which point it will be for sale through digital retailers. A seven-inch vinyl version of "Violet Hill" will also be given away on the cover of the music weekly NME on May 7.

Coldplay is also planning to play two free concerts in conjunction with the album release. The first will take place June 16 at London's Brixton Academy, while the second will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 23.

The band will issue details on how to get tickets to those shows in the coming days.