James Blackshaw - Summoning Suns James Blackshaw

Summoning Suns is James Blackshaw’s tenth studio album and his first recording to feature his own vocals and lyrics. Drawing on ’60s and ’70s singer-songwriters, orchestral pop and folk, Blackshaw turns to more traditional song forms while retaining a contemporary sound. He sings in a gentle, assured voice, weaving personal experiences, anxieties and fantasy into lyrics laced with dark humour.

Blackshaw’s deft acoustic fingerpicking remains central to the sound, set against intricate arrangements for drums, bass, piano, violin, flute and pedal steel guitar. The album features contributions from Simon Scott (Slowdive), Annie Nilsson, Mori Wa Ikiteiru and Kaoru Noda, who joins Blackshaw for a duet sung in Japanese.