Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey Buckingham

 

Lindsey Buckingham – Lindsey Buckingham

By

Jesse E. Mullen

You’ve co-led a massively successful group on and off for 43 years. You’ve written numerous hit songs, spearheaded a change in sound for your group, and have helped influence modern production techniques, while also surviving personal turmoil within your band. But what happens when that turmoil finally catches up with you?

As was the story of Lindsey Buckingham leading into 2018. The guitarist and songwriter was as famous for his chops on his instrument and studio prowess as he was for his breakup with Fleetwood Mac bandmate Stevie Nicks. That breakup inspired the timeless 1977 album Rumours, but it also left a lot of lingering tension.

This tension eventually led to Buckingham leaving the group for 10 years in 1987 but appears to have boiled over in a more permanent fashion in 2018. According to Buckingham, Nicks informed him – via Fleetwood Mac’s manager – that she “never [wanted] to share the stage” with Buckingham again.

This (allegedly) led to an ultimatum – either Fleetwood Mac fire Buckingham or Nicks would depart. The group apparently chose the former. Whatever truth to this there is, the result was the same. Buckingham was out of Fleetwood Mac.

With time to spare – following a solo tour and an excellent greatest hits box set entitled Solo Anthology – Buckingham put the finishing touches on a solo record which he intended to release in either 2019 or 2020. But a pair of issues put the brakes on his plans.

Buckingham underwent emergency open heart surgery in February 2019, which put him out of commission for the better part of a year. Further complications arose when it was revealed that one of Buckingham’s vocal cords was damaged when he was intubated during the procedure, leading to questions about the future of his singing voice.

2020 led to another complication in the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying the release of the album further. One must be asking: could anything else go wrong for Buckingham from 2018 onwards? On a more personal level, the answer was sadly “yes.”

Buckingham’s wife filed for divorce in June of 2021. However, it was later reported that the couple were working on their marriage. Personal anecdotes aside, it would be easy to assume that the next Lindsey Buckingham album would be a dour affair. But then again, this was also an artist famous for finding dry humor in his relationship woes – see: “Second Hand News” and “Big Love.”

Buckingham’s new album, the self-titled Lindsey Buckingham was finally released in September 2021. The album artwork certainly would support the theory of a dour affair, with a po-faced Buckingham mugging for the camera in a black and white image – in line with the sepia-toned Gift Of Screws cover from 2008.

The resulting music resembles that album, at least on a surface level. Screws featured Buckingham at his most pastoral to date on “Time Precious Time,” as well as his most chugging melody since “Trouble” from 1981’s Law and Order in “Did You Miss Me.”

Conversely, Lindsey Buckingham also features many of the production techniques which made Tango In The Night a classic. Varispeed (pitch shifted) backing vocals, sequenced keyboards, drum machines, and “uhh-ahh(s)” are all reprised to great success. But Buckingham proves he is willing to update his sound for modern times.

“Swan Song” features syncopated techno beats and staccato vocals looped into infinity, while Buckingham shreds away on one of his glorious, fingerpicked guitar solos. Interestingly, this track originated from a session Buckingham was producing for Medicine’s Brad Laner. Laner – who primarily works within the shoegazing genre – handed Buckingham a copy of demos he had recorded, with hopes that Buckingham would find them interesting – and possibly cover one.

One of those songs intrigued Buckingham enough that he did just that – partially. “Mind’s Eye” was a song from those sessions which formed the basis for the chorus of “Swan Song.” Consequently, Laner has a co-writing credit and a share of all royalties earned. (Life lesson – sometimes it really helps to put yourself out there.)

“Power Down” mixes baggy beats with the new wave pop Buckingham has pursued in his solo career to great success. Buckingham plays the part of a lover left behind, saying he “called your name but no one was listening.” It’s one of a few hints that not all was right in his life at the time.

The other, “Santa Rosa,” deals with distance between a couple, with Buckingham warning his lover “that world is gonna close you” if she leaves. That Buckingham marries his lyrics to a major-key acoustic country groove makes it one of the melodic highlights of the album, even if it is one of the more solemn moments here.

However, not all is doom and gloom. “I Don’t Mind” shares the wisdom of an older man in a relationship – it deals with an aging couple accepting each other’s flaws. It might be the most Fleetwood Mac-like song on the album – Buckingham’s varispeed harmonies even sound a bit like Christine McVie. Layers of acoustic guitars and Buckingham’s drum machine programming add further color to the sonic landscape of the track.

“Scream” features a rising and falling vocal melody and chord progression that manages to recall “Go Your Own Way,” while some of the vocal production resembles the simulated female backing vocals from “Caroline.” It’s chorus of “I love you when you scream” is open to interpretation, as it could either have a sexual connotation or a sexual one – or both.

Elsewhere, “On The Wrong Side” bolsters a tune that is catchy, singable, and melodic while also featuring a bit of a bard lyric. Buckingham sings that he’s “out of pity” and “out of time.” Could this be directed at his wife? Or at Nicks and his impending removal from Fleetwood Mac? Only Buckingham knows for sure.

Given Lindsey Buckingham’s troubles over the past few years, it’s hard not to read the lyrical tea leaves on these songs. However, their actual meaning doesn’t at all affect the quality of the material. With Lindsey Buckingham, Buckingham (the artist) has delivered some of the finest moments of his solo career.

Reprise/2021

 

 

Rose City Band – Summerlong

 

Rose City Band – Summerlong

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

You’ve led a critically acclaimed psychedelic rock band for 13 years. You’ve played at All Tomorrow’s Parties festival and supported Sonic Youth on tour. But what happens when you want to conceal your identity?

So was the story of Ripley Johnson in 2019. The guitarist and songwriter had led the acclaimed band Wooden Shjips for over a decade. But Johnson was looking for something different. And he wanted to do it in secret.

Johnson wanted to make music in the style of American Beauty-era Grateful Dead. But he wanted to keep his identity disguised. So, he devised the plan of forming Rose City Band but not mentioning his name anywhere in the credits for their debut album.

That album, 2019’s eponymous Rose City Band showed Johnson’s knack for hazy slowcore, but also hinted that he had much more to offer. So, when the follow-up Summerlong arrived in June of 2020, fans were clamoring for what Johnson could offer next.

The album opens with the gentle country rock of “Only Lonely.” Over a skipping guitar lick and a country beat, Johnson describes a lazy Sunday in Portland, OR. He’s longing for romantic attention but seems content with lounging around. It works wonderfully as the soundtrack to those early summer days where the days are still getting longer, and the sun shines till 8 o’clock at night.

“Empty Bottles” is even more laidback. Johnson plays a descending slide guitar lick, as John Jeffrey slowly drums along. The sound and effect recall what Dean Wareham and co. were doing on Lunapark, Luna’s first album from 1992. But the outro jam also recalls what Wilco were doing circa 2007 with Sky Blue Sky.

Clearly not satisfied with simply aping The Dead, Johnson instead weaves all of his influences into a musical tapestry. This is record collector music for indie kids who came of age in the 1990s and 2000s. But it also has great potential to appeal to their elders.

The albums’ centerpieces are the extended jams of “Wee Hours >” which – as bootleg collecting Deadheads will know by the “>” – transitions into epic closer “Wildflowers.” The two tracks add up to 11 minutes, roughly a quarter of the album.

A steady drumbeat, and tight ascending rhythm guitars allow for plenty of fretboard fireworks from Johnson, as the tracks speed past the five-minute-mark. It’s easy to imagine these tracks being played to a blissed-out crowd on the summer festival circuit.

But perhaps “Floating Out” is the melodic highlight of the album. Dreamy droning guitars surround Johnson’s vocals, evoking the feeling of both Luna and Spiritualized. The slow drums add to the ambiance and give the composition a great sense of space – as well as feeling like it is floating in space.

However – at the risk of invalidating my entire review – in depth analysis is almost counterintuitive to music like this. It is better to zone out and let the jams run from. Thus, I can only say that Ripley Johnson’s forays into Grateful Dead-influenced rock were a rousing success, and a highlight of his own legendary career.

Thrill Jockey/2020

 

 

 

Guided By Voices – Styles We Paid For

 

Guided By Voices – Styles We Paid For

By

Jesse E. Mullen

You’ve released over 100 albums. You’ve released six albums over the past two years. You’ve also released two double albums since you reunited with your current lineup in late 2016. But your group is more than just statistics. What happens next?

This was the story of Guided By Voices in December of 2020. The band led by the ultra-prolific Robert Pollard were on a hot streak which dated back to their second reunion in 2016. They had already recorded two albums to be released in 2020 by the start of March. But in a year that was anything but normal, some changes had to be made for their third album of the year.

Originally planning to record an all-analog album titled Before Computers live in the studio, the band would ironically record their most digital album yet. Using Pro Tools, file sharing, and five different studios in five different states, each member recorded his parts separately.

Producer Travis Harrison then assembled the recordings at his Serious Business Studios in Brooklyn, NY. Harrison – who also tours with the band as official soundman – has become a sort of “fifth Beatle” to Guided By Voices, producing every album from 2017’s August By Cake to the present.

All of the experience undoubtedly helped Harrison when assembling and mixing tracks recorded from thousands of miles apart. Harrison used the opportunity to experiment in Pro Tools, adding extra production touches not heard on a Guided By Voices record since the more colorful tracks on the early 2019 double album Zeppelin Over China. (an eternity in GBV time.) But fans still had to wonder – how coherent can an album recorded from such a distance really sound?

The album opens with the slow burning “Megaphone Riley.” A chugging rhythm guitar and Pollard’s vocals introduce the track in modest fashion. Gradually, drums and bass come in anthemically, in a way which resembles “Redmen and Their Wives” from 1996’s Under The Bushes Under The Stars. It also uses part of the melody from 2017’s “Whole Tomatoes.”

Lyrically, it’s a rare political commentary from Pollard. With lines such as “Your facts approved, click on/Check our jumbo virus,” Pollard seems to be alluding to misinformation online regarding COVID-19. And the final verse with lines about “building your walls very proudly” seem to refer to the former president Donald Trump.

Pollard uses the lyrics of “They Don’t Play The Drums Anymore” to lament the lack of live drums on modern pop songs. He uses cryptic language, referring to electronic percussion as “electric lily pads on cool blue amazon” while also namechecking famous drummers and pieces of a drum set.

Musically, it features some of the most diverse percussion on a GBV song to date. The guitars and basses drop out before the first verse, giving way to a variety of shakers, congas, and bongos. It all ends with Pollard complaining that today’s youth “sit beating their puds” instead of beating the drums.

Guided By Voices have been in the unique position of having a laundry list of talented drummers through the years – including The Breeders’ Jim “Jimmy Mac” MacPherson. But if MacPherson is the gold standard, current drummer Kevin March is easily silver medalist. March’s fills aren’t quite as manic as MacPherson, and he lacks MacPherson’s flow, but he has a rock-solid sense of rhythm and tempo.

On “Electronic Windows To Nowhere,” Pollard writes about artificial intelligence, seemingly dismissing it with the titular line. Pollard has always been dismissive of modern technology – see 2003’s “Useless Inventions” – but like on “They Don’t Play The Drums Anymore,” his target is much more specific.

Ironically – as pointed out by GBV podcaster Jeff Gomez – Pollard and the band would not have been able to make the album without modern technology. Without cloud-based storage, Pro Tools, or computers, the album would’ve had to have been shelved until it was safe to record face-to-face. And Pollard is famous for never slowing down.

“Slaughterhouse” resembles the dark dirges of Please Be Honest, but with the better musicianship of the current lineup. Lyrically, the track is Pollard’s “Meat Is Murder,” describing a slaughterhouse in cryptic terms. Lines like “they taught the babies to smoke” could have a double meaning – smoked meat, slaughterhouse, get it?

Industrial noises and clanging sounds recall earlier tracks such as “The Caterpillar Workforce” and “The Grasshopper Eaters.” Gillard’s three note guitar solo recalls the sound of Joy Division. It is an almost dreadfully hopeless tune, one which – while enjoyable in certain moods – will have the listener glad when it’s over.

The next track brings some much-needed optimism. “Endless Seafood” begins with a bouncy, descending chord progression which never quite crosses the line into cheesiness. Pollard uses the concept of “endless seafood” as a metaphor for “plenty of fish in the sea” with regards to love.

It’s the kind of cheerful pessimism that R.E.M. perfected on 1987’s “The One I Love.” Pollard sings that “you can be hungry, but empty inside.” An almost perfect anti-love song, it ends with swooping strings, and a skillful decrease in tempo.

On the other end of the spectrum is “Stops.” A beautiful love song about how feelings evolve as we age, Pollard uses a succession of bus stops as a metaphor. Doug Gillard turns in an absolutely gorgeous guitar part, recalling Neil Young during his On The Beach era.

Speaking of excellent Gillard guitar, “Mr. Child” features one of the albums best riffs. The track opens with a Gillard riff which can only be described as having the gusto and confidence of Keith Richards. Pollard describes a Peter Pan-esque character who attempts to stay young forever. But as we all know, this isn’t possible.

The track ends with a three-part prog suite. It slows to crawl with pounding drums and melodic bass, before building back up into an explosive finale. A thrilling would be single, it is the perfect bridge to the latter half of the album.

As the album gets closer to the end, Pollard becomes more obsessed with the passage of time. “Time Without Looking” is an absolutely gorgeous ballad. Gillard arpeggiates every note on his Les Paul in crystal clarity, before a midtempo acoustic guitar joins in with the rest of the band.

Pollard sings that he knows “the time without looking” before cryptically asking “where do they go? After the goldrush? After the screentest?” An obvious nod to Neil Young and a possible nod to the movies of his youth, Pollard seems to be looking back through the decades of his life.

It’s a haunting commentary on aging, which is put into sharp relief by album closer “When Growing Was Simple.” Bob treats this tune as a memoir of sorts, talking about his school days, his discovery of his athletic abilities, and his maturation as an artist.

A cold, almost industrial tune, it is less accessible than “Time Without Looking.” Still, Bob’s haunting vocal and lyrics when combined with Mark Shue’s Codeine-like bassline send chills down the spine of the listener. After a full album of twists and turns, Pollard gives the listener a chance to meditate on what they’ve heard.

While many bands floundered in 2020 or had to rely on Bandcamp handouts to stay afloat, Guided By Voices proved there was a third option – making three kickass albums and capping the year off with the strongest one. Styles We Paid For may have been recorded under different means than originally intended, but the end result was one of the group’s best outings.

GBV Inc./2020