well to answer that accurately we would need to discuss this question in about 4 years....ATYCLB came out about 7-8 years ago, HTDAAB came out about 4 years ago...Viva la Vida came out like a week ago or something
But if I had to say, right now...
well...I think "Kite" is better than every single song on Viva La Vida and "Walk On" is up there too....I honestly have to say I enjoy ATYCLB more than Viva La Vida from start to finish...
For Bomb, well...I really don't know...I'd say I'm enjoying them about the same right now...but Bomb came out 4 years ago...I really doubt I'll still be listening to songs from Viva la Vida in 4 years...who knows
There's something static about any Coldplay album, including Viva la Vida, that makes it less enjoyable than an album such as ATYCLB...and I think it has to do with Martin's voice- For example, on ATYCLB, We have Kite, a huge, emotional song, then everything gets scaled down for the soothing IALW...and you can feel the passion from Bono with each song- Bono sings each song
differently, he sings them with a different style and fits the mood of each song perfectly, i.e. "When I look at the World" - just the
way he sings that song makes it all the more real and enjoyable and simply more meaningful to listen to...with Viva la Vida, it feels like the same thing over and over...sure, Strawberry Swing is a nice soothing, "summer lovin' " song, and it most definitely contrasts with a song like Lost, but Martin's voice doesn't change to fit the mood...he simply sings the melody with that same sugary, lackadaisical voice, and really leaves the listener with no real contrast. But the main point is, I'm not sure if Martin, with the voice he has, is
capable of doing so. On HTDAAB, you get SYCMIOYO, one of the most emotionally intense U2 songs, and then later comes "A Man and a Woman," which features an entirely different approach from Bono. Yeah, Bono sings the melody just like Martin, but Bono gets inside the song...there's a difference. You can really see what I'm talking about if you compare Coldplay albums- Martin on "Speed of Sound" sounds exactly the same on any song off Viva la Vida...
I know I'm only focusing on the vocals, but when I say there's something "static" about Coldplay, I think it's primarily because of the vocals.
I realize I might not be explaining myself clearly, but what I'm trying to get across here isn't the easiest thing to put into words and explain. I'm just trying to convey one of the reasons why ATYCLB and probably HTDAAB are overall more lasting and enjoyable albums for me, and from a more objective perspective, better albums, taking all things into consideration.