If the artist knows what the fans want, why not at least TRY to satisfy them? We alredy have enough synthpop on the lists - we want what was popular before. They shouldn't pretend to be more stupid than they are, none of their fans really thought Mylo Xyloto could compare to the masterpiece called A Rush of Blood to the Head. I liked the more britpop-influenced style, so did mostly the rest of their fans. Coldplay knows how to make good songs, so I don't see any reason for not executing it. Oh, and Neardeathexperience, you may have a point when you say that it'd be hard to make the original sound, but personally I don't think that is a valid reason for giving up to commercialism and start making what everyone else makes nowadays.
My opinion on the evolution of their albums:
