After predicting earlier this summer that its new album could potentially hit stores next month, Irish rock icons U2 [ tickets ] have pushed the release back until 2009.

"We've hit a rich songwriting vein," frontman Bono said in a message posted at the group's website. "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? ... We said to each other that if we got to the great place then we wouldn't stop

"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!" he added. "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."