Earlier this year, former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha ended a 14-year solo sabbatical when he released his sophomore set Look to the Sky. Only thing was, the album was released only in Japan. Unless you already scoured the torrent sites or paid out for the import, the record will now finally be available for North American audiences at the end of the summer.
The domestic version of Look to the Sky, which follows 1998's Let It Come Down, arrives September 18 through the End Records. EMI Japan delivered the set overseas.
An interview with Rolling Stone revealed that, obviously, it took a while for Iha to record the 14-song set, as he spent years focused on producing bands at his New York studio. It should be noted that the last several years have also seen Iha play with A Perfect Circle, Tinted Windows, Isobel Campbell and more.
While Let It Come Down was a softer album, Iha made a conscious effort to shake things up throughout Look to the Sky. "My first record was definitely more on the quieter acoustic side, more singer-songwriter," he said. "With this record, I tried to make it more of a variety. There's a little bit of rock stuff, there's quieter acoustic stuff, there's more new wave-y pop stuff."
You can check out the album's first single "To Who Knows Where," a dreamy, distortion-dusted pop rock number, in the video down below. Of the track, Iha explained "lyrically, it's sort of about a happy feeling, something incredible that happens to you. It's there for a moment, and then it's gone. Something kind of ephemeral."
The domestic version of Look to the Sky, which follows 1998's Let It Come Down, arrives September 18 through the End Records. EMI Japan delivered the set overseas.
An interview with Rolling Stone revealed that, obviously, it took a while for Iha to record the 14-song set, as he spent years focused on producing bands at his New York studio. It should be noted that the last several years have also seen Iha play with A Perfect Circle, Tinted Windows, Isobel Campbell and more.
While Let It Come Down was a softer album, Iha made a conscious effort to shake things up throughout Look to the Sky. "My first record was definitely more on the quieter acoustic side, more singer-songwriter," he said. "With this record, I tried to make it more of a variety. There's a little bit of rock stuff, there's quieter acoustic stuff, there's more new wave-y pop stuff."
You can check out the album's first single "To Who Knows Where," a dreamy, distortion-dusted pop rock number, in the video down below. Of the track, Iha explained "lyrically, it's sort of about a happy feeling, something incredible that happens to you. It's there for a moment, and then it's gone. Something kind of ephemeral."
