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

 

 

Mike Johnson – What Would You Do

 

Mike Johnson – What Would You Do

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

You’ve toured and recorded with Dinosaur Jr. You’ve made records with Mark Lanegan and developed a knack for writing and arranging. Heck, J. Mascis even lets you play lead guitar on several songs. But what happens when you want to strike out on your own?

That was the big question surrounding Mike Johnson in the mid-1990s. After fronting a grungy Pacific Northwest punk band called Snakepit in the latter half of the 80s, he was asked by J. Mascis to replace Lou Barlow on bass in Dinosaur Jr. – no easy task, considering Barlow’s heavy/melodic, inimitable style.

However, Johnson quickly developed his own style. Primarily a guitarist before joining Dinosaur, Johnson began playing figures on the bass which resembled lead guitar parts, albeit in a much lower frequency. Better still, the notoriously controlling Mascis let Johnson play a handful of guitar solos on the 1990s Dinosaur Jr. albums.

Johnson’s skills as a musician led to him being tapped by Mark Lanegan to help the singer kickstart a solo career. The Screaming Trees frontman was looking for a stylistic change from the art damaged grunge of his former group and believed Johnson to be the man to do it.

Together, the two artists developed a style which combined the crooning blues of Leadbelly with the poetry of Leonard Cohen and the glacial pace of the burgeoning “slowcore” sound. The albums they made together led to even more acclaim for Johnson, but he still had one creative itch left to be scratched. His own solo career.

Johnson’s next move took him even furth down the path of Leonard Cohen and slowcore. His first three solo albums gained a warm reception and a cult following in the indie rock world, but none of the attention the Lanegan albums received – or even like-minded contemporaries such as Red House Painters, Low, and American Music Club.

On his fourth album, What Would You Do, Johnson sought to tip the scales in his favor. Opener “Arise” has a warm, sultry sound reminiscent of Luna at their most alt. country. In the chorus, the song reaches its climax. Trumpets flutter and Johnson’s smoky voice fills the air, repeating the title.

“Names” is a chilly mope of a tune that doesn’t get dragged under its depression, thanks to Johnson’s genuine delivery. Musically, it’s a three-chord, minor key waltz, with Johnson repeating a lyrical phrase along with a descending third. Its late-night vibe calls to mind American Music Club at their most mellow.

On “Things…” Johnson opens with some fiery guitar work, jamming in an unconventional rhythm against the drums and bass, before settling into a two-chord minor key groove. Johnson and second guitarist Bret Netson – of Built to Spill fame – share a vocal which can only be described as sounding like it was beamed up from the ninth circle of Hell.

The record’s only cover is a version of “Deliver Me from My Enemies,” a song originally recorded by Yabby You and written by Vivian Jackson. While it was originally a somewhat hopeful reggae tune, Johnson completely reworks it into his own style, adding a stinging sadness and a slow, ringing resonance from his telecaster.

Speaking of gorgeous guitar tones, the instrumental track “The Introduction” – which actually comes towards the end of the album – features Johnson playing ambient, clean notes on his guitar, which resemble Slowdive’s work during the Pygmalion era of the band.

Some albums save the best for last. What Would You Do is one of those albums, closing with the haunting, yet strangely uplifting “Over.” And it does so with a twist. While “Things…” evoked the sound of the ninth circle of Hell, Johnson references Purgatory here.

Rather than penning his own lyrics, he reads several verses from Canto XVII of Dante’s Purgatorio. This brave act would collapse in a pile of hubris if it weren’t for the gorgeous instrumental backing. Johnson plays a heavily flanged and delayed part on his telecaster, a figure which finishes with a stinging arpeggio.

It all ends with the part when Dante’s guide informs him that he must discover the true nature of love for himself – the only logical conclusion to the album. Much like a cliffhanger ending to a film, Johnson leaves the end of the album open to interpretation.

While Mike Johnson is best known for his collaborations with other artists, it is his own solo work where we get closest to understanding the true nature of the man himself. On What Would You Do, he reached the pinnacle of artistic achievement while trapsing through the dark woods of his mind.

Up Records/2002