U2 actually has punk rock influences that are clearly heard in many of their songs. Coldplay doesn't. U2 has always been grounded in rock n' roll, while Coldplay seems rooted in pop.
I'm no expert, but Coldplay and U2 have very different sounds.
SIMPLE, DIRECT, AND ONE OF THE BEST POSTS I'VE READ HERE SINCE I JOINED IN JANUARY OF 2008!!
Someone finally hits the nail on the head!
They are bands that had very, very different influences and origins.
Is there some overlap? Of course. There is in all genres.
Do Coldplay try to sound, to some extent, like U2? Of course, all of them, but especially Martin, as we all know, idolize U2. But it's the pop side of U2, and to a lesser extent, the atmospherics (Martin's favorite U2 song is, I think ASOH) that Coldplay seek to emulate.
Coldplay has very few songs that could even be labelled as "rockers," never mind anything that approaches Wire, Twilight, Gone, LNOE, Holy Joe, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, Electric Co, Like A Song, Sunday Bloody Sunday, etc. They have none of the post punk/new wave influence seen in U2 greats like Two Hearts Beat As One, Gloria and Rejoice. None of the dark, haunting vibes seen in Love is Blindness or Wake Up Dead Man. Nothing that has the intensity of Dirty Day, Exit or Bad or even Raised by Wolves. Nothing approaching anything on AB- be it a MW like groove, or industrial sounding rock like Zoo Station and The Fly. Nothing that has the solid, straight ahead American 1950s influenced rock of Desire, Angel of Harlem, Love Comes to Town and Trip Through Your Wires. They can't come close to touching the transcendence of Streets or ASOH. They can maybe, on a good day, give 2nd tier anthems like COBL a run for their money.
I'm glad that U2's earlier influences (punk and otherwise) are present on SOI. I think the contrast you are talking about will become clearer to anyone who has a listen or two for themselves. Note, that means not listening to the critics and radio idiots who keep saying "Iris" and other songs just prove U2 want to be Coldplay.
Hell, some DJ in Boston even said, after playing "Cedarwood Road" that there was a "real Coldplay vibe" there!!!! What??? Other than "Reach Me Now" (the best damn song in a long time from our boys), it's the furthest thing from Coldplay on SOI. I've never even noticed drums and bass in Coldplay songs (and I've seen them live many times). This guy's telling me they could do a song like "Cedarwood Rd?" It's almost like there's a conspiracy on the radio to just associate U2 with Coldplay and say "too late, these guys do what you did 30 years ago and better, so get on with it and retire." And I don't subscribe to many conspiracy theories, but the corporate radio stations going sour on U2 since 2009 and shunning and mocking them and downplaying them is one I am a fervent subscriber too.
I know it's too early, album not for sale yet, etc, but the radio has, once again, so far, COMPLETELY SHUNNED U2. If SOI won't get noticed and praised for the work that it is, there is no hope!
Does Coldplay have musical talent, some nice songs and some successes- album sales, airplay and tours? Of course!!
Do I have anything against them? Not really.
Do I respect them? Of course!!
Looking at any more than a small snapshot of U2 work next to Coldplay's, are they very similar in sound? Certainly not!
Are they in U2's league? Not by a long shot!