Coldplay keeps trying to get those U2 shoes to fit

Cold Play is big. But are they U2 big?
And is that even a fair question?

It's been a while since I've written a word about music. I've been really busy and relatively uninspired by new music -- not a good mix for a hobby blog about music. But I thought I'd take a second here to talk about one album that's now a classic and a second one that is brand new and what they have in common.

Lost a little in the discussion of  seminal grunge and alternative records celebrating 20 years -- from Nirvana's Nevermind to Pearl Jam's Ten -- is the 20th anniversary of another record, this one by a super group and, like R.E.M., one of the bands that, like 'em or not, are really responsible for shaping the sound of rock music for the last 30 years.

That album is U2's Achtung Baby. Achtung Baby  is one of those records that's easy to miss in a conversation about seminal recordings, partially because U2 has several other albums that are just as important. It also wasn't representative of the rock sounds of that generation. It was, instead, a career moment for a band that was already closing in on 15 years. It was a statement record by arguably the biggest rock band in the world.

When it was released, I was not a fan. For one it was not the U2 I grew up with -- The U2 of War and Joshua Tree. There was something that was just a little too dancy about Achtung Baby. Also, as a dedicated fan of the underdog in all my tastes at the time, U2's popularity left me even more uninterested. My senior class even picked "One" as the senior prom theme (an irony that I don't think occurred to a single member of my class). A true rock snob just cannot share music taste with the captains of the football team and the cheerleading squad.

Of course now, well removed from the moment and mature enough (?) to be fine with liking big, popular things, I can appreciate the record for not only being a great record with great songs, but also as a remarkable and progressive record. The Edge was already the most idiosyncratic and brilliant guitar stylists of his generation* before Achtung Baby was released. He had found on the new record a way to expand his sound exponentially. He created a footprint of reverb that no one has really filled since.

Aside from the fact that a remastered reissue of Achtung Baby was just released, the album came to mind for me right away when I started listening to Cold Play's new record, Mylo Xyloto.

Cold play in 2011 seems to me to be the direct result of U2. Cold Play now wears the mantle of "Biggest Rock Band in the World," even though the title and competition aren't what they used to be. Like U2, Cold Play is a huge, arena-sized four-man juggernaut from the British Isles. Right now they are what matters in popular rock music.I will not be surprised if Mylo Xyloto's record sales account for 50 percent of all rock record sales by year's end.

And like U2, Cold Play have produced a record with Brian Eno, the heavyweight English producer, Muzak maestro, a cappella music fan and Roxy Music star. Like Achtung Baby, Coldplay have gone drifted towards the groove and the sample. Throughout, the sound of U2 is borrowed. Guitar leads are drenched in Edge-like reverb. The band shapes it's songs around strong melodies and a gifted singer.

But here, I think, the comparison ends. After about three songs, Mylo Xyloto grows really dull. I think Cold Play is gifted, and I think Chris Martin is distinctive enough a singer to be a really great centerpiece for a rock band, but as songwriters and composers, they don't have a lot of variation. In fact, U2-like is about as good a compliment as you can possibly pay them.

The thing is this: When U2 recorded Achtung Baby, they were carving a place for a new sound in rock, a place where many bands (especially English bands) have found fertile ground. They were also taking a risk by going in a really new direction. Many lesser bands would have retreated to their past. U2 charged forward.

Given Cold Play's pull and popularity, a real artistic move would be to challenge listeners a little bit. Instead Mylo Xyloto gives you pretty much exactly what you'd expect from Cold Play. The most shocking moment is when Rhianna joins Martin on "Princess of China." The shock, though, is that the song becomes pretty standard R&B fair, nothing at all new.

I wouldn't say Mylo Xyloto is a bad record. It's a fine set of OK songs from a good band. But I think it's worth being disappointed that Martin and the band couldn't do better. It's hard to believe that anyone will write about them 20 years from now. And I think it's safe to say that no one will recall this record in 20 years.


* Think I'm exaggerating? I know of no other guitarist that is so easily identifiable. You can identify The Edge's playing within seconds, even while a generation of musicians have worked to mine the man's huge sound.