Umphrey's McGee is highly acclaimed jam band coming from the US... Although Anchor Drops is their fifth album, it's also the first one to be released in Europe (therefore I haven't listened to them before). They play improvisational rock in the vein of Phish with influences ranging from Frank Zappa and King Crimson to John Coltrane, Steely Dan, Pearl Jam, Dixie Dregs and the like. Actually they have such diverse musical influences that their music is hard to categorise.

As the music on Anchor Drops is quite influence-rich, one might dislike some of their songs. Everything from progressive rock to funk, folk, jazz/fusion, pop, metal and rock & roll can be heard on this album. Occasionally there are some grand sections that have quite a strong effect on the listener. However, on the observe there are also parts that aren't so well-thought-out. Regardless, on average this album is fairly good... In my view, while recording this album, they should have concentrated less on pointless gimmickry and more on sounding good.

Production on Anchor Drops is rather good. The sounds are clean and the mastering has been handled well. However, the production doesn't substite for the songs... Some material on this album could be considered as 'filling'.

During the 64 minutes that this record lasts you'll hear a plethora of influences. Umphrey's McGee isn't for everyone (since their music is so diverse), but it might be worth to give their music a try... Either you'll be favourably surprised or disappointed.

Release date: 21.02.2005

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- MAGE (05.02.2005)

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LINE-UP:
Cummins, Joel: Keyboards & Vocals Bayliss, Brendan: Guitar & Vocals Cinninger, Jake: Guitar, Synthesizers & Vocals Stasik, Ryan: Bass Myers, Kris: Drums, Vocals Farag, Andy: Percussion
Producer:
Mixing by:
Mastering by:

	TRACKLIST:
	01. Plunger 02. Uncommon 03. JaJunk Pt. I 04. 13 Days 05. JaJunk Pt. II 06. Walletsworth 07. Anchor Drops 08. In the Kitchen 09. Bullhead City 10. Miss Tinkle's Overture 11. Robot World 12. Mulche's Odyssey 13. Wife Soup 14. The Pequod