I think alot of people have to much of negative thinking here
ATYCLB is a realy nice album, it isnt like anything else they have done before. It is just the band and their instruments, the only song that dosnt fit the album is Elevation. I think it is wrong to call it an safe album. On JT/R&H they wanted to be American, on AB/Zooropa they where more experimental, Pop they tried that dance thing a bit. So I think ATYCLB was a vey right thing back then to do. Just let the band be band who likes to play music after all they had done before that.
HTDAAB was a very different album, it was more of a collection of songs, just like Bono said. Maybe the band didnt know where to go back then? They didnt know wich style so it went up to be a collection of different songs album.
New album, well I don't have any expectations for it to sound like AB, why? Because we alrrady got AB, I want something that they havent done before, ofcourse there will be a song wich sounds like another song they done before, they have recorded albums since 1980!
The more records they have done, the harder it is to make new things that they havent done before. When they did JT and AB they didnt have the huge catalouge of songs they have now. So, they have done the punk, american rock, experimental, dancy, basic and collection songs album. What is left? Psycadelic music, wich also may be some of on the new album. So Im curious, but I don't want and hope for an new AB. I want a new album.