Lindsey Buckingham - Gift Of Screws
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Free Music Notes for Gift Of Screws
Free Music Review: Truly Great
Hit: 5 Stars
Lindsey Buckingham has been long-known as an enigma of sorts. The creative mastermind behind one of the biggest groups of all time, yet a relatively obscure solo artist. Simultaneously able to co-create one of the most radio-friendly and biggest-selling albums of all time (Rumours), yet unable to get his quirky solo work played on any radio station, much less to appear on any bestseller list. However, Lindsey's solo work is truly a gift that unfortunately goes unnoticed by many. Gift of Screws is his second solo album in less than two years, which is unusual for the same artist who took fourteen years between his last two solo records.
The album opens with the searing "Great Day," which features an unbelievable solo and an ingenious arrangement. "Time Precious Time" showcases Lindsey's trademark solo fingerpicking style in startling fashion. I have yet to come across a rock guitarist who can match Lindsey's fingerpicking abilities. The lyrics of this song are particularly impressive, focusing on the theme of the omnipresent and elusive nature of time. "Did You Miss Me" is a breezy pop song that exemplifies Lindsey's innate pop sensibilities, echoing Brian Wilson's influence on him. Lindsey jokingly refers to the fact that this song was chosen as the single for the album, since it got almost no radio play. "Wait For You" is a layered and very interesting track, starting off with an oozing guitar riff and staggered beat that leads into a very distinctive chorus. The lyrics are also quite interesting and poetic. "Love Runs Deeper" is in my opinion an example of Lindsey at his absolute best. Hard-driving guitars and tasteful solos are the foundation for some of Lindsey's best lyrics: "I loved you little child, how you mystified, just a blinding flash, we were parallel lines." Lindsey once commented on how having children made him a better lyricist, and these themes are obviously close at hand when he is crafting. "Bel Air Rain" is a shockingly beautiful creation, this time with rapid steel-string picking accompanying Lindsey's unique voice. Haunting is an adjective that perfectly describes several songs on this album, including this one. "The Right Place To Fade" sounds like it could have been on Rumours, and includes the rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John Mcvie. Someone commented to me after hearing this song, "You can definitely tell that this guy created the sound of Fleetwood Mac." "Gift of Screws" is a great rock song that includes several of Lindsey's quirky studio techniques, and exudes the joy that he must feel when he plays. It's completely obvious how much he loves doing what he does. "Underground" is a beautiful melody that betrays the resigned nature of the lyrics, which comment on the short attention span of the music industry. "Treason" is a great closer that features layered acoustic guitars in open tuning and comments on how lies can turn into the truth conveniently and easily.
This album is a wonderful creation that truly displays the talent and unique spectrum of talent that Lindsey Buckingham continues to offer. I can only hope that his increased volume of output indicates that there is more to come.
Free Music Review: A pop/rock master at his finest
Hit: 5 Stars
Lindsey Buckingham may be the quintessential pop/rock artist. He's a talented vocalist, an amazing songwriter, and perhaps the best guitar player working the scene right now (or since the seventies, if I may go out on a limb). As an amateur songwriter/musician myself, I can't help but listen to his finger-picking (especially on tracks such as "Time Precious Time") without a tinge of regret; after all, it's highly unlikely I--or anyone--will ever play that well.
GIFT OF SCREWS is a true pop/rock gift, if you can forgive me the pun. The title track, for example, may be the perfect rock song: clocking in at just under three minutes, it features opaque, pseudo-political lyrics, blistering guitar work, and raucous mad cackling. Another album highlight, "The Right Place to Fade," would fit perfectly on a Fleetwood Mac album. "Wait For You" is a bluesy rock number with lyrics as dark and enchanting as its melody ("Tarantula passes by the window/No one takes it as a sign/No one cares which way the wind blows/Someone's got to change your mind"). Buckingham's more mellow moments are astounding as well: the seductive opener "Great Day," the introspective "Bel Air Rain" ("Everyone's peace lives side by side with their war/Oh but eventually everyone gets tamed"), the beautiful "Love Runs Deeper."
GIFT OF SCREWS is a perfect follow-up to UNDER THE SKIN; it feels like the previous album, just a bit more electrified--a little more emphasis upon the "rock" in "pop/rock." Buckingham wrote or co-wrote every track here (the three tunes he co-wrote were written with his son and wife), and is joined on a couple tracks by Fleetwood bandmates Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (perhaps it's for the best that Ms. Nicks didn't drop by...a bit too much history there, for a record as current and personal as this). Still, Buckingham is the star here, the shining talent. It's amazing how decades into his career, he can still make music as vibrant and vital as this.
Free Music Review: Buckingham's Gift
Hit: 5 Stars
Guitarist/Singer/Songwriter/Producer Lindsey Buckingham has often been called a "mad genius." Never before has Buckingham's brilliance, creativity, intensity, and outright weirdness been more on display than on Gift of Screws. "Great Day," written by Lindsey Buckingham and his son, Will, gets the cd off to a rockin' start. Buckingham's punk and new wave influences shine here as they have in his past work (from Fleetwood Mac's Tusk in 1979 to present). "Time Precious Time" is almost an incantation with gorgeous guitar work. "Did You Miss Me," written by Lindsey Buckingham and his wife, Kristen, is the most straight-ahead pop song on this cd. "Wait for You" is a bluesy rocker (the rhythm section of Fleetwood Mac makes an appearance with Mick Fleetwood on Drums and John McVie on Bass). Buckingham wrote "Love Runs Deeper" again with his wife, Kristen, in which he shows his pop sensibilities to great effect. "Bel Air Rain" is, simply, gorgeous. In this track, as he looks back over his life, he sings that he was "mistaken for a whore" by some for Fleetwood Mac's great success. Buckingham's genius guitar work and singing and songwriting and producing on all of these songs show just how foolish those who doubt Buckingham's many talents are. "The Right Place to Fade" finds Lindsey Buckingham rocking again with Mick Fleetwood on Drums. The title track,"Gift of Screws," (with Fleetwood and McVie again) is a weird tilt-a-whirl of a song with Buckingham's penchant for the oddness of punk well on display. It's the funnest song I've heard in a very long time. "Underground" and "Treason" end the cd. Both are thought-provoking meditations: the former on the state of the record industry and the latter on love, loss, and redemption. This is one Gift you'll never regret!Free Music Review: His Best Since Out of the Cradle
Hit: 5 Stars
But this one is totally different. Lindsey has always had a strange, dark streak -- "Go Insane" anyone? -- but on Gift of Screws he takes that impulse and really runs with it.
Although there are several melodically gorgeous, beautifully arranged songs that recall the best of Out of the Cradle ("Underground," "Bel Air Rain"), I would say there are no tracks as spectacular as the best pop songs from that groundbreaking album ( "Countdown," "Soul Drifter," "Don't Look Down"). Instead what you have here for the most part is a somewhat self-obsessed, remarkably talented guitar-picker using his prodigious gifts to go wherever it is his id takes him. And who knows where that is?
If you liked tracks from 2006's Under the Skin like "Not Too Late" you will especially enjoy this album. Lindsey's impeccable timing and sense of ryhthm are at the forefront, and his amazing plectrum picking lift songs such as "Time Precious Time" into the realm of high art. Along with pop gems sprinkled throughout like "Did You Miss Me" and "Right Time to Fade" (with Mick on drums!), the album percolates along at an intense pace, where it apexes on the title track -- a strange rocker that demands to be played at maximum volume. Yet the closer "Treason" brings us all down to earth in a stately, dignified manner.
In all, a shining, carefully constructed piece of art, by a master musician. At this breakneck pace (two albums in three years) Lindsey seems to be on a roll. Having seen the man live in Fort Lauderdale on the Under the Skin tour, I can definitely say I am enjoying every minute of it.
Free Music Review: Yet ANOTHER Great One!
Hit: 5 Stars
Thank God for Lindsey Buckingham. Only a couple years after his last "come-back" album (his albums are usually so far apart that they're all considered come-backs), and one year after the live offering from the Bass Performing Hall, Buckingham's back with another great one. He'd said in recent interviews that he was feeling very inspired, and I guess he wasn't kidding, because here are 10 more rock solid songs from the master.
In many ways, this is a continuation of Under the Skin, which was masterful if a bit subdued. Anyone who's seen Lindsey in concert knows that, while folk and accoustic-based songs are a large part of his musical persona, so too is his inclination for harder rock and blues. Gift of Screws, led by the absolutely incredible title track, shows Buckingham indulging his rocking side more than Under the Skin did. So, while it feels like a natural continuation of Under the Skin, it nevertheless has its own unique flavor.
In short: This is a great time to be a Lindsey Buckingham fan. He's back on the road (and will be touring with Fleetwood Mac in '09, so I hear), and his output is as good as ever. Gift of Screws is definitely a must hear for Buckingham fans, and, indeed, any fan of great pop musicianship.