A Gift of Screws

A review of the new Lindsey Buckingham album from the UK Guardian:


At the height of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours supernova, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham suddenly started listening to Talking Heads and the Clash. Gift of Screws' harder moments suggest these influences remain, though Buckingham has returned to the ethereal pop-rock songwriting that spawned the band's classic hits. With the trusty Mick Fleetwood-John McVie rhythm section giving lots of sonic wallop, this is more than just a Mac album without the female vocalists: Buckingham seems to be rediscovering some sort of idealism.

Tune In: Alejandro sings on Leno

One month after exhaustion sidelined his scheduled TV appearance on the Letterman show, Alejandro Escovedo returns to the small screen tonight on the Leno show (NBC). Escovedo performs "Sister Lost Soul" from his acclaimed Real Animal album. He and his band return to Austin for the ACL Fest at the end of the month.

Loving a Hurricane: Ike rearranges the weekend

As reports of Hurricane Ike's threats to Texas increase, the city of Austin prepares for potentially gale force winds. University of Texas officials will announce by Noon Thursday if the Saturday afternoon game with Arkansas is to be cancelled. Also, Sunday's John Hiatt/Joan Osborne show is moved from the outdoors of the Backyard to the cozy interior of the Austin Music Hall downtown.

Seems like good music news at first, until you consider the acoustics of the recently renovated hall. Regardless, tickets are still available at GetTix outlets and the Backyard though it oughta be a buyer's market out on the street.

Also, the Grupo Fantasma show scheduled for Sunday at Antones has pushed back one week until September 21. The event is a fundraiser for the Texas Democratic Party. Tickets for the Sept. 14th show will be honored.

Both sides of Okkervil River

Starting with 2003’s Down the River of Golden Dreams, Okkervil River became a Band to Watch based on its intricate and literary songs. Last year’s The Stage Names continued a string of generally excellent albums over the last five years, earning them the mantle "Rock Stars" (the group was name checked by Lou Reed early this year prior to SxSW) -- though Will Sheff has grown into a somewhat overly dramatic frontman for me. But the band’s strong point is its songs, as always.

New songs like “Pop Lie” and "On Tour With Zykos" are propulsive gems with all the energy and angsty delivery one has come to expect. So here are Pro/Con views of the new album The Stand Ins, out today:

PRO/CON

Okkervil River goes on tour with Zykos in about one week, returning to Austin to play the ACL Fest at 5:30 pm Sunday (Sept. 28).