If you expect an album like Achtung Baby then I think you probably will be disappointed. Why would you expect it? Because the mere mention of the word? All he's talking about is U2 innovating their own sound, similar to the way they did on Achtung Baby.
The single biggest problem I've seen on Interference as a whole is the narrow minded frame of reference. That is to say, everything U2 does has to be directly compared to everything they've done before. So even when Lanois (or others) are saying U2 are trying to innovate their own sound and comparing that ambition to the innovation of U2's sound on Achtung Baby, people can't help but expect Achtung Baby Part 2. It's just narrow minded.
It's as silly as the people who claim ATYCLB was some return to an 80's U2 form or bashing Coldplay entirely because of similarities to U2. It's viewing things through a myopic lens.
If he had used someone else to use a frame of reference or influence, say Jimi Hendrix, then (just as I read in a thread the other day) it's "Oh, I don't want them to sound like Jimi Hendrix, they've already done All Along The Watchtower...blah blah". It lacks any context or perspective. It confuses influence for mimicry. It ignores what Lanois had actually said when talking about Mitch Mitchell. It's just plain short-sighted all around. AND it happens a lot AND it's many many different people thinking in the same manner.
U2 can't rewrite their genetics. They will sound like U2 no matter what they do. Seems to me they are at least trying different approaches (ala Achtung Baby) and hopefully that will give us a new angle on U2's sound.
But for God's sake just because Lanois or someone else mentions Achtung Baby, can we just try and open the scope enough to understand that it's the approach they are talking about rather than a sound. Why would U2 deliberately try and go repeat themselves?
Anyways, I'm just trying to warn people about those expectations.
This album will not be able to approach the heights of Achtung Baby's reputation because it's just not physicaly possible. U2 can only totally revamp their sound once. From then, it's variations on the theme. Just like they can only have the classic 'U2' sound once, ATYCLB wasn't derivative of that, at all. They can only do so much to innovate their sound without totally and completely changing the dynamics. They are at least trying, it seems.
I don't want to be preachy or condescending here, honestly but I think we've got to nip this right now or else, I think when the new single comes out, it will be an incessant festival of 'Achtung this and Achtung that'. Can we try and be fair to the guys? I say start by saying to some of you, take your head out of the tunnel and look from a different angle.