Welcome to another edition of Track Marks, in which your Idolators perform an autopsy on the latest whisper-down-the-lane Internet-sensation of the moment. Today’s entry:
Artist: Lindsey Buckingham
Hometown: Brentwood, Ca.
Album: Under The Skin, available now
First online mention (according to searches on Elbo.ws and The Hype Machine): Long-time Mac addict Stereogum posted a handful of tracks on Aug. 11th.
The Build-Up: Actually, there was no build-up–and this is where the major-label publicity system fails: While copies of Under The Skin went out two months ago, they were insanely over-watermarked, thus preventing any sort of MP3 momentum. A handful of sites, including Swoon and
The Dam-Break: Still waiting for the dam to break.
Odds of Backlash: Zilch. Heck, this thing’s so low-profile, there’s not even odds of a lash.
Is He Worthy? Yep. Even though we’re tired to death of mopey white boys, Skin is a great record, one with a lot of dark turns, and absolutely no misfires. We’re guessing that Stevie must have loaned LB one of her dreamcatchers.
Lindsey Buckingham – Not Too Late [MP3, link expired]
LIndsey Buckingham – Show You How [MP3, link expired]
Lindsey Buckingham [Official site]
At least a third of this album should automatically be entered in the canon of “best songs LB’s ever written” (at least within his solo catalogue). Especially “Someone’s Gotta Change Your Mind.”
I sort of understand the label’s predicament, though. Who the hell do you market a Lindsey Buckingham album to in 2006?
For the record, they didn’t know whom to market a Buckingham record to back in 1992, when the last one came out, either. And that record was pretty damn good.
He is a D.I.L.F. Can I get a witness, ladies?
Show You How was pretty damn bad.