U2 have spoken about the writing and recording sessions for the follow-up to How To Dismantle And Atomic Bomb, saying that they're planning to make 2009 their year.

In an interview on the official U2 site, Bono says "This is our chance for us to defy gravity once again. We have what it takes, we have the songs, new rhythms and a guitar player who is not ready to re-enter earth's atmosphere until he's taken a slice of the moon! It's been fun, it's been maddening... there have been injuries and recoveries, no babies born that I know of, but this one is nearly ready for the new year of 2009." Yeah!

Bono went on to reveal that the band were allowing themselves freedom in how they approached the sessions. "When we set out on this record it was Larry who came up with the plan not to have a plan," he explained. "He put up this idea that wouldn’t it be great just to make music for its own sake, not for the purpose of a live show or on album but just to see what we’re capable of.

"We’ve hit a rich songwriting vein. It gets a bit dark down here but looks like we've found diamonds not coal. I thought a while back we might have the album wrapped by now, but why come up above ground now if there's more priceless stuff to be found?"

Bono went on to say that he had high hopes for the record: "We know we have to emerge soon but we also know that people don’t want another U2 album unless it is our best ever album. It has to be our most innovative, our most challenging … or what’s the point ?"

He revealed that it'd be next year before the humble public is likely to hear any of the fruits of U2's labours: "I’m always the one who underestimates how easy it is to simply 'put out the songs now', if it was just up to me they’d be out already! But early next year people will be able to start hearing what we’ve been doing. We want 2009 to be our year, so we’re going to start making an impression very early on."