Quote of the day

From the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly:

STEPHEN COLBERT: One of the things I love about my character is I can make vast declarations and it doesn't matter if I'm wrong. I love being wrong. So my character can tell you exactly what's going to happen: The Democrats are going to change everything. We're going to have gay parents marrying their own gay babies. Obama's gonna be sworn in on a gay baby. The oath is gonna end ''So help me, gay baby.''

Matt's Brilliant Ideas, Vol. 863

If you are at a gas station and are paying at the pump with a credit card and you are not issued a receipt, the gas is free.

Man, I'm a genius.

Lindsey Day

I finally have Lindsey Buckingham's "Gift of Screws" in my hot little hand. It is amazing. Here is my extremely hasty, blow-by-blow Gift of Screws live blogging. It's not pretty...it's not insightful, but it was written real time.

1. Great Day – This is a very quirky song. Reminds me of the work he did on Tusk. Probably going to be the most eccentric song on the CD. This is the song that has the “guitar solo so ‘blowtorch-hot’” mentioned in the Rolling Stone review. Listening to the first half of the song, you’d never guess that this song would have a heavy solo in it. It’s kind of sparse up until the end, when he kind of tears loose. The solo has a very similar sound to the guitar sound he used in “Come” from Fleetwood Mac’s “Say You Will” album.
   
   
2. Time Precious Time – Even though this is supposed to be a more rocking album, this one is an acoustic, fast finger-picked song in the style of “Not Too Late” from Lindsey’s last CD. A pretty song. Didn’t strike me right away…but might after more listens.
   
   
3. Did You Miss Me – This is the single. It’s probably the most conventional song on the CD. I found it very boring until about the 6th time I heard it. It’s very low-key. No big guitar moments, not a really huge chorus. Just a very straight-forward song. Pretty melody, but much simpler than the stuff he normally writes…kind of like Peacekeeper.
   
   
4. Wait For You – This song rocks…I had heard this one as a demo a few years ago…but then it was called “Shuffle Riff”. It has a very bluesy feel, and sounds like it could’ve fit onto Rumours. (Mick Fleetwood and John McVie play bass and drums on this song). It has a hugely hooky chorus…best song so far. It also reminds me a bit (in the chorus) of Lindsey’s writing from the Go Insane album. This song was also produced by Rob Cavallo, who is a hotshot producer right now (he produces Green Day, for example).
   
   
5. Love Runs Deeper - If I were Warner Brothers, I would’ve pushed this as the first single. It’s extremely catchy, and the chorus sounds like something off of “Tango in the Night”. I think it has much more VH1 potential than the single he did release. It has a great contrast from a restrained and peppy verse to a big, booming chorus. The guitar solo has a very Rumours tone to it.
   
   
6. Bel Air Rain – Another fast acoustic finger-picking monster…one of those where you can hear Lindsey’s metronome click-track underneath, the way you can with “Shut Us Down” from the last CD. This is a great song…a sad, desperate song. One of the catchiest chord changes in the chorus of any song so far… Something about the writing style reminds of 1980s Lindsey.
   
   
7. The Right Place to Fade – This song is a pop/rock masterpiece. Breathtaking. I’ve had this song for a couple of years as a demo called “Twist of Fate”. I thought that he changed the words, but after hearing the high-fidelity version, I think that the words were just misunderstood by whoever first got a hold of the demo. This song has signature LB guitar all over it, and a chorus (full of LB’s modified vocals) that is instantly memorable. The last 40% of the song is nothing but blistering guitar work. Probably going to be my favorite.
   
   
8. Gift of Screws – Damn…I spoke too soon. This is a deranged, high-energy…(can I still be hetero if I use the word ‘romp’?) romp! This is the crazy, slightly insane Lindsey that we’ve been missing. Maybe only Holiday Road can compete in terms of hooks. It has an almost old-fashioned rock feel…a mixture of 1960s Chuck Berry and 1980s new wave.
   
   
9. Underground - This song makes it official. The songwriting on this album is definitely most reminiscent of Lindsey’s second solo album, “Go Insane”. Many of the same production techniques are used, including Lindsey modifying his own voice to sound like a woman and then recording his own background vocals. The chorus has some faint similarities to “On The Wrong Side”, which appeared on some movie soundtrack.
   
   
10. Treason – A mostly acoustic, mid-tempo number. This song is a rarity…an acoustic Lindsey song where the guitar is actually strummed instead of plucked. Pretty pedestrian verses, but the chorus is big with lots of reverb. Nothing in this song stands out as particularly memorable on the first listen. Seems like he wanted a more contemplative closer for the CD.
    

Countdown to Lindsey - One DAY!

Lindsey with his "army of guitarists" on his 1993 solo tour. Great solo at around 2:20 or so.



The reviews are beginning to trickle in. The Times (in the UK) says:

"Buckingham's last solo album, 2006's Under the Skin, was a thing of wonder and beauty, but Gift of Screws finds him on even finer form. Fated for ever to be thought of as the man who reshaped Fleetwood Mac into a world-conquering rock band, the guitarist issues albums that, if they bore the group's name, would sell by the bucketload; and he's fated, too, to have his unsung status as one of the great geniuses of American sonic architecture obscured by his talent for undislodgable melody lines and radio-friendly hooks (though the hits invariably contained some deeply eccentric music-making). "

Countdown to Lindsey - Two Days

The performance that re-introduced Lindsey to the world. "Big Love" on Fleetwood Mac's reunion special, "The Dance". He can do quite a bit with one guitar.

Countdown to Lindsey - Three Days

Lindsey on Ellen last year. Best part is the solo at around 2:25.

Countdown to Lindsey - Four Days

Four days left. I think I'll post a video each day until the release.

Here's Carrie Underwood with Lindsey:

Countdown to Lindsey

Only five days until the new Lindsey. In the meantime, here's one of the hookiest, catchiest pop songs ever...unfortunately, it's one of the worst videos ever. Most of the budget must've gone to fog machines.

Anticipation

One of my all-time favorite musicians, Lindsey Buckingham, has a new CD coming out on Tuesday, called Gift of Screws. As if I wasn't psyched enough, I got my latest issue of Rolling Stone in the mail today, and here's the first line of their review:

"On this album's opener, 'Great Day,' there's an electric-guitar solo so blowtorch-hot, it seems specifically designed to bitch-slap anyone with the nerve to wonder if Lindsey Buckingham still rocks."

Has Matt Died?

No...I'm still here. I've been very busy with freelance projects lately and absolutely consumed by politics. For the next 60 days, I will be unable to think about anything else.

I've thought about writing some political posts, but there are so many great political bloggers out there that I would just be making a fool of myself.

Until I am back on my bloggy feet, enjoy some Cakewrecks.