The only thing I'll say about this is that if Bono truly, deeply thinks that the album is sub-par....and he thinks it can be improvedm, well, I find it hard to argue with that. Yeah, I like it how it is, and, yeah, I want new music from them, not a new and improved Pop....
But, I can certainly see how an artist can look at their work and realize how it maybe could have been better. Maybe he cringes when he listens to certain Pop tunes. Just because I like Do You Feel Loved does not mean Bono does, or should.
So, again, I would love if the band always looked forward, but, I cannot criticize them for wanting to maybe correct what they might truly think was an effort not commiserate with their talents and/or goals at the time.