Since my post - which
was about Coldplay in the original version of this thread - got moved, I'll summarise and expand it here.
It bugs me when Coldplay continually get compared to U2, whether in a positive sense or a negative sense. It just reeks of U2 fans trying to compare their favourite band to every other band on earth because, you know, because U2 influenced everyone and everyone else has to know it. I'll be the first to admit that I've been guilty of this myself, but I see now how pointless it is. There are people who listen to Coldplay
only because they remind them of U2, and there are people who hate Coldplay
only because they remind them of U2. This isn't directed at anyone in this thread because I don't think there's really anyone here at the present who thinks like that, but I've seen it happening here at Interference
so many times in the past that it has begun to get tiring. If you're going to like Coldplay, like them for who they are and not who they remind you of. If you're going to hate Coldplay, don't hate them because you think their guitarist is a cheap imitation of The Edge, hate them because of genuine dislike of the music.
Also, contrary to popular belief, U2 haven't invented any particular song structures or invented the way that certain songs build up. To make a direct reference - Anu, I don't mean to take you completely out of context, but just bear with me, please.
You mention how the beginning of Square One reminds you of Streets. The beginning of Square One reminds me of the beginnings of songs by
many different artists, not just U2.
In short, no one will ever be completely original. It's impossible. If Coldplay sound like U2, well so what? Yes, it drives me insane when I see little pre-teens blathering on about how "original" Coldplay's guitarist is, when all he's doing is replicating a style that has already been made popular by the likes of Tom Verlaine, Will Sergeant, The Edge, and others (not
just The Edge - another misconception amongst U2 fans that bugs me!) Yes, it irritates me a little when I see Chris Martin trying so desperately to be Bono. But that's not what's important. It's the things that actually make Coldplay
Coldplay that are important when it comes to loving them or hating them.