Right..the beach clips consist of
- 400 (sounds Beatles-like, think Stuck in a moment - Original of the species piano pop),
- 403 aka Thank you (a Bono piano demo, co-written by Lanois),
- 402 and 404 are more developed and more guitars. 402 sounds a bit more ethereal (think MDH soundtrack/Mercy), 404 sounds poppy in the verses but an addictive classic U2 chorus. Nice bluesy solo by Edge on that one.
U2 and Green Day did a cover of The saints are coming for Music Rising and they performed it last week at the re-opening of the Superdome in N. Orleans. The song will be availabe via download and on CD.
The band has been recording with Rick Rubin in Abbey Road in September and so far Bono, Larry, Edge and McGuiness spoke highly of the new material. That said, no date has yet been confirmed for the release. Edge said the album might be a departure and McGuiness said there will be a download single by the end of this year. Also, Jacknife Lee is in the studio but his role hasn't been confirmed - Rubin is the producer.