Let's take a collective break from gushing over Billy Corgan's new Smashing Pumpkins album Oceania (see below) to check back in with (I think) unfairly ditched former Pumpkins guitarist James Iha. His new solo album Look To The Sky (his second to date and first since 1998's Let It Come Down) hits stores and playlists on September 18 and, surprise, surprise, it also evokes the old band's wistfully dreamy alt-rock sound.
| Related… Album Review: The Smashing Pumpkins – Oceania |
"After the Pumpkins broke up, I kind of wanted to do other things other than be in a band full time," he tells Rolling Stone, who've landed first dibs on his new single "To Who Knows Where" (listen here). "I guess I just viewed a solo record as something that, when I thought it was good, then I would look around and see what's out there and find a label. It just took a lot longer than I thought it would."
Iha (who, you'll remember, also hooked up with A Perfect Circle following the original Pumpkins lineup's dissolution) hasn't lost his knack for endearing guitar pop or his almost painfully soft, reflective voice. (Take another listen to "Blue" and "Take Me Down" if you haven't recently.) Love the airy layers of effects-laden guitars, floating and ringing over that gently charging, post-New Wave beat. You know, between this and the buzzy post-psychedelic roar of Oceania, it's almost like having the old Pumpkins back. Sigh, almost.
What do you guys think of "To Who Knows Where"? Leave some paw prints on our comments section below.
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[RollingStone.com]
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