Go over to atu2.com and browse thru the old news right before ATYCLB was released. (you can filter the news, using 'album news') I went back and read virtually every article from Pop to the current articles. It took me a little over an hour, which wasn't too bad.
What I noticed was that my perception of Bono's "hype" changed somewhat. A lot of what he said turned out to come to fruition. He talked about evolving towards simplicity, about making soul music, and about making music that is about 4 people playing in a room.
The problem was in between, those items that turned out to be fact, he threw out a lot of big adjectives "titanium soul" and such.
I think it's probably just his personality. He is only overstating slightly because the work is fresh in his mind and has yet to be heard by a critical audience and fans.
I think it's also an Irish thing, that perhaps you have to be Irish to understand the manner in which he is speaking. What may seem to be verbose or over the top at face value, turns out to be true, just overstated.
A monster, a dragon, to me translates into meaning a big rock guitar record. Instead of just saying "it's a big guitar record" to Bono, it's a monster or a dragon. If only because he is searching for those ellusive new adjectives, or if in his perception, this is truly the way he sees it.
U2 haven't made a true guitar album in awhile. Guitar players may understand what I mean a bit more than those who don't. But if you pick up your guitar and you can play an album with minimalist effects and not leave out sections of a song, then it's a guitar record. This would refer to Bono's comments about All Because of You being "The Who". Whereas it may not sound as much like the Who themselves, but it sounds like The Who, because it's guitar driven.
I also got chills reading one particular article.
Edge commented that his style is very minimalist, wherein he has played as few noted as possible for the most part. This is of course, very true in most cases.
But for this album he is pushing the guitar to see what he can make out of it, that he is not scared to 'play too much'. Basically I think he means he's shelling out more notes.
You can see this in Electrical Storm and maybe even in some live versions of older songs (the outro of Gone) and so on.
Basically I think we are going to have on our hands, a full on guitar record, for the first time, maybe ever but at least since JT. And instead of minimalist Edge in prior cases (all albums) we are going to hear full-on Edge.
Now just because it's a fuller guitar with more notes and playing, doesn't by default mean the songs will be better. I think they will, but it's not guaranteed.
I do think we are guaranteed a different sound for U2. Not a different sound of 'rock', but a different type of 'rock' for U2.
A different U2, once again.
And who knows, it may be a fucking monster or a dragon, whatever the fuck that means.
Fire-breathing Edge=dragon
Notes, solos, and maybe even multiple chords
Prevelant rock sound=monster
Drums, Bass mixed together, guitar at the forefront,
Big lyrics, Big melody, big sound.
Rock and Roll baby!!!!!
Only Bono calls it something else.