NEW YORK (AP) — Irish rockers U2 will release their first full-length album of new material in nine years — the 12-track “Carnaval De Luz,” which will feature a song with Dolly Parton.
Interscope Records announced that Nov. 13 will be the sale date for U2's 16th studio album and released a new track, “Silencio.” “Street of Dreams,” the first song to be taken from the new album, was released in July.
“It’s a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs," The Edge, the band's guitarist, said in a statement. Added singer Bono: “There will be loud guitars, deep bass, some ecstatic rhythms.”
“Carnaval De Luz” — which translates from Spanish and Portuguese to “Carnival of Light” — is produced by Jacknife Lee, who has been working with U2 since 2004’s “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.”
The last track on the album is “Torn,” a duet with Parton that a statement describes as “what has sadly turned out to be her last recorded vocal performance.” It was co-written by U2, Parton and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid and is described as “a tender country song detailing broken family ties that holds wider resonances.”
The band, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has not been dormant, having dropped two EPs, “Days of Ash” and “Easter Lily,” each with six songs, released for Ash Wednesday and Easter, respectively.
The new album cover has The Edge and Bono joined by drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton walking in a line along a beach, with Bono leading the way in a top hat and black coat, in a clear echo of the Beatles' “Abbey Road” cover.
FILE - Adam Clayton, from left, Bono, Larry Mullen Jr. and The Edge, of the band U2, perform on stage at Twickenham Stadium in London on July 9, 2017. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)
Major League Baseball's postseason is rapidly approaching, with the Los Angeles Dodgers seeking a third straight World Series title. There are four days left in the regular season and six playoff spots are still available, though multiple teams could clinch Thursday.
The Dodgers are once again among the best teams in the big leagues, and they'll have several challengers in October, including the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. All three teams could finish the regular season with 100 wins or more. Los Angeles is rolling into the postseason and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani returned to the lineup on Wednesday after a stint on the injured list and was 1 for 4 at the plate with two strikeouts and a walk.
The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves have also clinched spots in the postseason. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, a three-time AL MVP, is dealing with a right calf strain that will likely keep him out through at least the Wild Card Series.
While the 12-team playoff field appears mostly set, there are a few long-shot contenders for the postseason, and specific matchups are in flux.
Here's some of what to watch as the season comes to a close.
In the American League, the Cleveland Guardians can clinch a postseason spot with a win at Boston or a loss by the Rangers or a loss by the Astros.
The Chicago White Sox can clinch a postseason spot with a win at Kansas City.
Over in the National League, the San Diego Padres can clinch with a win at the Dodgers or a loss by the D-backs. The Chicago Cubs can clinch with a win vs. Miami or a loss by the D-backs.
The Philadelphia Phillies can clinch their spot in October with a win vs. Milwaukee and a loss by either the D-backs or the Padres.
There's quite a bit of mediocrity in the AL Central and West divisions this season, which has led to some fascinating pennant races and could lead to a sub-.500 team making the postseason.
The Guardians (82-76) have a narrow advantage over the White Sox (81-77) in the AL Central while the Rangers (78-80) and Astros (78-80) are fighting for the AL West. Houston has the tiebreaker if the season ends in a tie.
Over in the National League, the playoff bracket is close to set.
The Padres (88-70), Cubs (87-71) and Phillies (87-71) are jockeying for position in the wild-card race but will almost certainly make the postseason. The only team within shouting distance is Arizona (84-74), which is three games back. Chicago holds the head-to-head tiebreaker for home field over Philadelphia and San Diego, and the Phillies own the tiebreaker over the Padres after sweeping that season series 6-0.
MLB's major awards probably won't have much drama this season.
Both MVP races have strong favorites with Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong running away with the NL honor while Houston's Yordan Alvarez is the probable choice in the AL, though Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero has also had a fantastic season. Alvarez still has an outside shot at a Triple Crown. He leads the AL in batting average at .316 and his 41 homers are tied with Caminero, New York's Ben Rice and Baltimore's Pete Alonso. His 102 RBIs are eight back of Alonso.
For the Cy Young Award, Milwaukee flame thrower Jacob Misiorowski and New York ace Cam Schlittler are the favorites in the NL and AL, respectively.
The Rookie of the Year races also look set with Cincinnati's Sal Stewart and his 110-RBI season the leader in the NL and Detroit's Kevin McGonigle the favorite in the AL.
There are 12 teams that qualify for MLB’s postseason, including six teams from both the AL and NL. The three division winners in each league get seeds No. 1 through No. 3, ranked by win-loss record. Then the three wild-card teams get seeds No. 4 through No. 6, also ranked by win-loss record.
The top two teams with the best record in both the AL and NL automatically advance to the Division Series. The other eight teams play in the Wild Card Series, which is a best-of-three format beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 29. In both the AL and NL, the No. 6 seed will travel to face the No. 3 seed while the No. 5 seed goes to No. 4. The higher seed hosts all three games.
The winners then advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.
Wild Card Series: Sept. 29-Oct. 1 (NBC/Peacock)
Division Series: Oct. 3-10 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)
Championship Series: Oct. 11-20 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)
World Series: Oct. 23-31 (FOX)
The Dodgers (+200) are the favorites to capture a third straight World Series title while the Brewers (+550), Rays (+800) and Yankees (+850) are viewed as the top contenders.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Cleveland Guardians' Nathaniel Lowe, center, celebrates with teammates after defeating the Boston Red Sox following a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, center, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, right, congratulate Mookie Betts after the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) celebrates in the dugout after scoring during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Houston, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong rounds third base on his way to scoring during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge walks back to the dugout after the bottom of the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts, right, is congratulated by Shohei Ohtani, center, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto after the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
