New U2 record, aiming for fall release

After reports of recording sessions in exotic locations like Fez, Morocco and the South of France, today’s news that U2 are back in Dublin and knee-deep in material for their next album was a welcome update. According to longtime collaborator Daniel Lanois, the band is trying to “deliver a masterpiece” as the follow-up to 2004’s Grammy-winning album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. But by when? Lanois won’t say, but we hear the band is “aiming for a fall release,” a claim their label, Interscope, doesn’t deny. Certainly, a new release by the world’s reigning stadium rockers would be a big boost for holiday sales this year — and perhaps next year as well: Lanois hinted to Billboard.com that the current recording sessions may wind up spreading out across two albums.