The Waterboys return to North America in November for a round of headlining dates behind their most recent studio release, April's "Book of Lightning."

The veteran British alt-pop outfit--which singer/songwriter Mike Scott, the sole constant member, founded in 1981--will kick off its trek Nov. 1 in Boston, with nine cities on the schedule over a two-week timeframe. Dates are included below.

Singer/songwriter Ida Nilsen--a.k.a. Great Aunt Ida [ tickets ]--will open five of the shows, with singer Clare Burson handling support duties for two of the remaining nights. Scott became interested in Nilsen, according to a post on The Waterboys' website, after Nilsen included a cover of Scott's 1988 song "Fisherman's Blues" on her 2005 debut album, "Our Fall."

"Book of Lightning," officially the ninth studio album in the Waterboys' catalog, was recorded last fall in London, with a pair of additional tracks recorded in Vancouver, British Columbia and Findhorn, Scotland. Scott co-produced the set along with the band's manager, Philip Tennant.

The disc features a makeshift rhythm section of bassist Mark Smith and drummers Jeremy Stacey and Brady Blade filling in for Scott's usual live players, Carlos Hercules and Steve Walters, who were both unavailable due to previous commitments when the album was being recorded.