They write:

Written and recorded in various locations, No Line On The Horizon is the group’s 12th studio album and is their first release since the 9 million selling album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, released in late 2004.

Sessions for No Line On The Horizon began last year in Fez, Morocco, continued in the band’s own studio in Dublin, before moving to New York’s Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and finally being completed at Olympic Studios in London.

The album calls on the production talents of long-time collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, with additional production by Steve Lillywhite.

Billboard runs the story and has a quote from a ‘source’ who heard songs in their early forms: “…amazing and a little out there. I hope they don’t change anything.” (Read more.)

U2 have arrived in Queensland, Australia and set up camp in a reportedly ‘stupid expensive’ hotel on the Gold Coast. While their crew continues to work on getting the venue ready for the show, the band will take a few days to acclimatise. Bono told the press: “I don’t really feel like Bono at the moment, I looked in the mirror and saw a little man with sunken eyes.”

Their Denton interview from March this year is going to be repeated on Monday and the band will appear on Rove on Tuesday night.

The stage in Brisbane is almost fully set up.

We haven’t had any info yet on how GA lines are going to be handled. Aussie fans, we welcome your reports and tips.

• The Daily Telegraph: U2 touch down, in pictures
• The Courier Mail: Bono’s soundcheck
• New.com.au: U2 lands for Vertigo tour
• The Gold Coast bulletin: Still a beautiful day for jetlagged U2
• News.com.au: We will rock you says U2
• The Courier Mail: Another day in paradise

Meanwhile, Billboard publishes the U218singles track list, including the new song ‘Window in the Skies’, and U2place.net has what might be the album sleeve.

“Beautiful Day”
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
“Pride (In the Name of Love)”
“With or Without You”
“Vertigo”
“New Year’s Day”
“Mysterious Ways”
“Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of”
“Where the Streets Have No Name”
“Sweetest Thing”
“Sunday Bloody Sunday”
“One”
“Desire”
“Walk On”
“Elevation”
“Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own”
“The Saints Are Coming”
“Window in the Skies”

“This was such a great year for U2. A No. 1 album in 20 countries, 110 shows all sold out, 3.3 million tickets sold, 100% of the tickets we put on sale. Nine million-plus sold of the current record, 3 million catalog, 2 million DVDs. U2 have never been bigger or better. Next year after Mexico, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, we will end the Vertigo tour in Honolulu.”

We’d say that was a pretty good year too, full of many numbers.