Pretty much since the early part of promotion for the "No Line On The Horizon" album, U2 has hinted that there’s a wealth of material that could result in multiple projects, but so far there’s been no mention of an actual release date.
However, the band’s U.K. label Mercury Records let it slip that the group is on their release schedule for 2013. The U.K.’s Music Week reported the news in a pair of tweets. The first stated, "New Metallica, U2, Arcade Fire and Noah And The Whale album coming next year, Mercury Records has confirmed."
The second tweet added a quote for Mercury’s U.K. label chief
Jason Iley, who stated, "
2013 could be one of the best years Mercury’s ever had." Iley has a long-running relationship with U2, and lured them over to Mercury after the split with Island Records several years ago.
While fans wait for a new album, they recently had a hand in picking the music for a record that’s bridging the gap. The "U22" live disc was recently issued for fan club members, with the entire track listing being chosen by fans of the band’s following and taken from material performed on the "U2 360" tour.
Fans should likely be able to forgive the band if they’ve been preoccupied in recent months. Guitarist The Edge has been mourning the death of his mother, and bassist Adam Clayton just ended a trial in which his former assistant was sentenced to jail for embezzling funds from him.
Thanks for the report to UltimateClassicRock.com.
