New Coldplay album in final stages

Manager calls new record "their best album," saying it "definitely takes them in some different directions."

It's been a rough year already for EMI, with new owner Guy Hands unveiling plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs, big-name departures, and rumors of even more.

But while there is no magic cure for the struggling UK label giant, a new album from Coldplay will certainly help. The company's financial fortunes have long been tied to Coldplay, and the UK quartet is in the final mixing stages of its forthcoming, as-yet-untitled fourth studio album. The album is tentatively set for a summer release on Capitol Records.

"We're just about finished," band manager Dave Holmes told Billboard.com. "They're in the final mixing. They'll start mastering, and away we go. I think it's their best album. They've really delivered. It's a fantastic record. They've really put the work in."

Frontman Chris Martin and company began working on the record in November of 2006 at their studio in North London, taking a break in March of last year to tour South America for the first time. Producers are Brian Eno, Markus Dravs, and the band themselves.

Holmes said the album "definitely takes them in some different directions. I'm not a music critic, but it's certainly a progression, with some really great songwriting."

Holmes said the band managed to seclude itself away from all the talk about EMI's financial turmoil. "When all that was going on we were over here [in London] in the studio, so we kind of steered clear of all that. We've got a great plan in place."

Coldplay is still working on its tour plans in support of the album, with Holmes saying that the band has something "special" in mind. "If we can pull this off it's going to be quite different," Holmes said. "We're going to try something a little different in the arena space."