U2 Will Release New Album in 2011

U2 will release a new album, likely to be titled Songs of Ascent, in early 2011. The band has played a few of the songs slated for the album during its "360" Tour, including "Mercy" "Every Breaking Wave" and "Boy Falls from the Sky."
“I would expect a new U2 album sooner than anybody thinks," U2 manager Paul McGuinness told The Irish Times. "I would guess early 2011 before the next leg of the American tour which starts in May." 
U2's album No Line on the Horizon received mixed reviews and even fans consider it a hit-and-miss collection.  While some songs have fared well in concert, such as "Magnificent" and "Unknown Caller," the dance-club approach to "If I Don't Go Crazy," based on the dance remix version, sucked the real life out of the pop tune on stage. which he said had held up “remarkably well” McGuiness said Horizon has sold “roughly” five million copies; that's about half of  2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb had sold twice that number. McGuinness blamed sagging record industry sales on illegal downloads, rather than the fact there may be a lot of overpriced and crappy music out there. 
U2's Rose Bowl performance in Pasadena, Calif. last year was released as a DVD.  Read one view of that show as a disappointing experience.
U2 cancelled a run of 2010 North American stadium shows when Bono suffered a back injury and then underwent surgery.  The band has since add more dates to the upcoming tour next year, including Pittsburgh, with rumors of shows in Winnipeg and Baltimore.