U2 Reveal Work on Three New Albums, Doubt R.E.M. Break-Up Permanent

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With the band finally off the road following 360, their record-breaking moneymaker of a world tour, U2 have shed some light on their current studio work, including that they are working on three separate albums.

"We're working on three albums at the moment and we haven't decided what order we're going to put them out but 'The Songs of Ascent' have the kind of beautiful intimacy that we're speaking of now," Bono said in an exclusive interview to members of the band fan club on U2.com and revealed on fan site U2 Hellas. "They fit into this moment, the mode of some of these artists that I was hanging out with on Christmas Eve."

Bono is referring to busking in and around Dublin on Dec. 24 with fellow musicians -- including the Swell Season's Glen Hansard -- for two homeless charities: the Peter McVerry Trust and Simon Community. The singers played 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' and 'Silent Night.'