Not as strong as last week’s crop of records – the new black midi record is excellent but I’m less enthused about new music from Lindsey Buckingham and Torres.
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham
2021, 7/10
Lindsey Buckingham has endured a tough few years. He was fired by Fleetwood Mac, needed open-heart surgery after a heart attack, and is facing the end of a 20-year marriage. But this record predates all of that drama – it was Buckingham’s request to delay a Fleetwood Mac tour so that he could promote this record that led to his dismissal. This new album, with sonic experimentation like the sequenced beats on ‘Swan Song’, highlights how conservative his music has been for much of his solo career. Once the maverick behind Tusk, Buckingham has largely stuck to power-pop, country, and folk over the last few decades, and some experimentation is welcome.
At the same time, Lindsey Buckingham feels light on tunes. Partly this is due to necessity – Buckingham’s vocal ability has become more limited with age, and often his guitar is carrying more melodic ideas than his voice. The solo from ‘On The Wrong Side’ recalls the majesty of ‘Go Your Own Way’, while his guitar glistens on ‘Swan Song’. ‘Blue Light’ is a 1950s throwback, while
Buckingham’s perenially underrated – the genius behind Fleetwood Mac’s commercial behemoths. But this isn’t his best solo effort – I’d recommend trying 1992’s Out of the Cradle, 2008’s The Gift of Screws, or 1984’s Go Insane as entry points into his solo catalogue.
Torres
Thirstier
2021, 7/10
It seems like I should enjoy an affinity with Torres. Her real name, Mackenzie Ruth Scott, is very similar to my wife’s maiden name. Like my wife, Torres learned the flute and grew up in a Baptist Church. Torres’ malleable voice is enjoyable – she can switch from an androgynous rasp to a more vulnerable higher register. She’s produced on her fifth album Thirstier by Rob Ellis, who’s known for his collaborations with PJ Harvey. The muscular and rootsy sound is enjoyable, but I find it lacking in subtlety at times.
To be fair on Torres, she’s recently engaged and Thirstier is her lust album – “I know I wear you out/I’m never sleepy” is a memorable couplet from the title track. But the lyrics are often a little disappointing compared to her robust tunes and arrangements – she drops into cliché on the chorus of closing ‘Keep The Devil Out’ when she sings “Everybody wants to go to heaven/But nobody wants to die to get there.” When the lyrics aren’t distracting, Thirstier is often enjoyable – ‘Don’t Go Puttin Wishes In My Head’ is a strong lead single.
Torres’ rootsy alt-rock is conventional enough that she’ll probably appeal to older music fans, but I’d prefer some more profound lyrics in places.
Black Midi
Cavalcade
2021, 8.5/10
London’s black midi are back with their second album of progressive post-punk. With their instrumental virtuosity, they’re often like a cross between the progressive rock of King Crimson and the spiralling guitars of the post-punk band Slint. They now have plenty of competition in their niche – this year’s also seen acclaimed albums from Squid and Black Country New Road – but black midi have also taken a step forward with their second record. Thankfully, they’ve fixed the most difficult aspect of debut album Schlagenheim – frontman Geordie Greep has toned down the abrasive vocals to an unsettling croon.
black midi have undergone lineup changes – second guitarist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin was involved in writing, but has taken a break from the band. They’re instead augmented by keyboards and saxophone on Cavalcade, which pushes their sound closer to King Crimson than Slint. Often it’s the guitar work that’s most arresting – there are lovely arpeggios on ‘Diamond Stuff’, while the opening guitar of ‘Slow’ sounds like King Crimson. ‘John L’ is a thrilling opener with its saxophone riffing and aggressive guitar, while the brooding ‘Marlene Dietrich’ is a great contrast. The closer ‘Ascending Forth’ is suitably epic.
There’s a lot happening on Cavalcade and it takes a while to digest, but it’s consistently interesting.
Read More
20 Comments
Leave a Reply
Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:
I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:
Subscribe
Subscribe to receive new posts from Aphoristic Album Reviews.
I’m shocked at how bad Lindsey’s voice sounds on the video 🙁 The music and lyrics are good but his voice no way.
It changed after his heart operation too – the album was recorded before that. His voice deepened a bunch.
Lindsey has a Garfunkel look going on… his voice is deeper. I’ve always liked his guitar playing. He uses sustain a lot in solos and it works well for him. He does it in quite a few songs and I would rather hear this than a guitar player wailing away.
I should have commented tomorrow…not much time but… I skimmed over Cavalcade… Marlene Dietrich and Slow are the two that caught my ear. Slow…you do hear the prog in it. It’s a pleasing mix but one I would never have thought of. Progressive was an enemy of punk…but they do sound good together. My beef with progressive was that it sometimes is too slick…well…this is not.
Slow reminds me a lot of 1980s King Crimson – it could come from Discipline or something.
Buckingham is way underrated- he doesn’t have the name recognition of Nicks or Fleetwood but his contributions to Fleetwood Mac were vital. He gives them some edge.
I know a couple of guitar players who swear by him as an influence…over other rock guitarists. The finger picking also sets him apart.
Mark Knopfler turned up with his own finger picking style at a pretty similar time too.
I was going to mention him…
Hmm I am most intrigued by black midi, new to me!
I caught up with them when their first album came out. The vocals are a lot more enjoyable on the second though.
Noted!
I liked the Torres album if for no other reason but that it’s such a radical departure in mood from her previous work. She seems so much happier now, it’s kind of infectious.
And that black midi album really is something. I think their drummer was some sort of child prodigy?
What’s your favourite Torres album before that?
Black midi are all great players, especially the drummer. They’re not quite hooky enough to completely grab me but they’re always interesting.
The debut is the only one I know pretty well. I haven’t given enough time with her others, but they all have a similar conflicted, introspective mood. Thirstier is straight-up power pop compered to her earlier output.
When I posted the Fleetwood Mac album a few months ago, I stated Lindsay Buckingham was a very underrated guitarist. That song proves it. I was also impressed with Torres.
Yup, Buckingham is super talented in a lot of different ways, although new album isn’t the best showcase of that.
Did you feature Black Midi before? I recall something similar. Will be giving this some time.
I covered their first album a couple of years back. Also, Squid, who I reviewed a few weeks back, cover pretty similar territory.
I definitely hear the Belew Crimson era. Im curious about the rest of the album. See how it stands up. Thanks.
I get a bit of 1970s Crimson vibes too, especially with the saxophone in there.
Ill get back to you after a few listens.