James Iha is set to release his first new solo album in 15 years, Look to Sky, next Tuesday, September 18th. If that seems too far off, don’t worry! You can listen to it RIGHT NOW! Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco is streaming the entire album a week before it’s release. Iha is best known as a co-founding member and longtime guitarist for Smashing Pumpkins, as well as guitarist for the super-group A Perfect Circle, and producer for bands such as Cat Power and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Look to Sky was produced by James and Nathan Larson of Shudder To Think and features special guests Karen O and Nick Zinner of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara, Nina Persson of the Cardigans, Fountain Of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger and Tom Verlaine, frontman of New York rock band Television. Follow the jump for more album info and tour dates…
Fans can listen to the record beginning today at Team Coco.
James Iha is known for his sophisticated pop melodies, lyrical sharpness and guitar driven rock. Look to Sky sees Iha returning as a solo artist after nearly a decade and a half. “I feel like everything should lead up to something and this is a culmination of my journey . . . I like the idea of that feeling you have when you’re young and you’re lying in the grass and looking up at the sky, and you get that feeling of how big the world is” says Iha. “It’s a very cinematic moment that captured the overall feel of the album to me. Also, the title sounded like a phrase you’d hear in a ’50s B-movie, like a directive: ‘The aliens are coming. Look to the sky.’ I mean it from the point of view of, ‘Look all around you. Here’s this incredible world we’re in and there are all these beautiful things happening.'” After a successful performance at this year’s Fuji Rock Festival, James will return to Japan this September for a run of tour dates followed by a string of East Coast US shows. Tour Dates below, more to be announced.
Listen to the song “To Who Knows Where” and check out the retro cool video that pays homage to David Bowie’s film “The Man Who Fell To Earth.”
Also, check out the video for Iha’s hit single “Be Strong Now”, released almost 15 years ago:
For more info, go to Iha’s official website, or check him out on facebook or twitter.
Tour Dates:
September 22 Umekoji Park Kyoto, Japan
September 24 Club Quattro Osaka, Japan
September 26 Club Quattro Tokyo, Japan
October 4 The Church Of Boston Boston, MA
October 5 Mercury Lounge New York, NY
October 6 Maxwell’s Hoboken, NJ
October 7 World Café Live Philadelphia, PA
October 8 U Street Washington, DC
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