So Coldplay have finally launched something of a new website, and therein presented us with some material from the new album, announced via email just moments ago.

Exhibit A, its cover:

The album’s title, Viva la Vida (“long live life”), was supposedly inspired by the work of the Mexican painter Frida Khalo. The only similarity we could locate between Khalo’s work and this odd, Renaissance-ish painting is the bare breasts. Who exactly is this person? Whether she’s Marie Antoinette or some random beeyotch, we know her definition of “life” and the secret to living it for a long time: flags a’wavin, if you know what I mean.

Update, 1:23 PM: When we don’t know things, Wikipedia always does. That’s how we identified the mysterious naked subject of Vida’s cover painting. The scoop: “The album’s artwork features the classic painting Liberty Leading the People (La Liberté guidant le peuple) by French painter Eugène Delacroix commemorating the July Revolution of 1830. It is currently on display in The Louvre in Paris.”

Exibit B a free song. Yep, it’s “Violet Hill,” the first single from Vida, released as a free download at Coldplay.com. It will be available for one week starting at 12:15 PM UK time (5:15 PM Eastern) on Tuesday, April 29th. Our comments forthcoming. But fair warning, dear Coldplay: you will be in for it if we’ve waited all this time and through all this belabored suspense for less than the sublime. And Gwyneth, you better not be lying.