by Lauren Todd

Created on: November 26, 2009

U2 maybe taking a break from their 360 tour schedule and home in Dublin for the holidays but they are busy, as ever. In fact, they are busy debating over their next album.

It is reported that they have three different project ideas for the new record, scheduled to be out early in 2010. One, is to gather the line up of songs that are largely written during the sessions from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb and No Line On The Horizon. Bono describes one of the projects in the works as being more subdued than No Line and he reveals a working name for it. "Songs Of Ascent will be quieter than No Line in many ways, it's that ghost album of hymns and Sufi singing. We're making a kind of heartbreaker, a meditative, reflective piece of work, but not indulgent." Bono said in an interview with Rolling Stone in March. He also mentioned the new song that is being talked about in the media, that will be put out as the first single, Every Breaking Wave. They also have a roots rock and roll album that he said he would like to get back to work on. The band is a bit iffy on the recorded sessions though, as they don't seem to have the colour and texture and sound effects that normally surrounds a U2 album. There is one more idea in the works that Edge reveals is a more fully developed collection of songs which he dubs as, The Spider-Man album. But he mentioned that the album is a far departure from what is normally considered U2. In an October interview in USA Today, he was quoted as saying, "We've got so much material at different stages of completion, it's going to be a nice problem when we've got a few weeks to look at it."

It seems as though U2 have been working on three different projects that all reflect who they are and what they want their music to be, but each is fairly non-characteristic of what people think of, when they think of U2. Bono mentions that the mood that the band is in will probably guide them as to what direction they will take on this new album.

One of the unique things about U2 and the position that they have achieved is that now more than ever, they have the opportunity to draw from contrasting sources as their inspiration in making music. Their focus has always been to make rock music that is seminal and drawn from the subconscious and any path that they choose for this new album is sure to reflect this. It seems that true inspiration is not something that can be rolled out onto the factory floor, but is always authentic and comes from within.

Whatever direction this new album takes, one thing is for sure and that is that U2 will continue to be make popular music that is created from the heart.

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