Umphrey's Mcgee - Anchor Drops

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Free Music Notes for Anchor Drops

Free Music Review: If only because this CD deserves an average of more than 3.5
Hit: 5 Stars

Anchor Drops is probably one of the best CDs I own - a pretty gutsy remark for a CD I've only owned for a week, but I could tell after one listen that this was never going to stray far from my CD player. From the very first drum beat, through 14 tracks spanning an impressive 65 mins of music, to the very last echos of the fading guitar, there is not one moment on the cd that I don't love. In a day when you're lucky if a CD is 40 mins long, and if in that there's 20 mins of music worth listening to, the album on a whole becomes even more impressive. UM has more musical ability than any emerging band I've heard - They move seamlessly between everything from smooth jazz, to phish-esque jam, to soaring orchestral, to folkish country western, to flamenco guitar and back again. The meters change, the harmonies swell in and out leaving every moment more exciting than the last.

The few reviews that rated this CD at one star really missed the point of the album. Some people complain that the studio versions can never capture the live show. Which may be true - but that does not in any way diminish the value of the album. Taking no comparisons into account and simply looking at the CD, it is still probably the best CD that has come out this year. If you want to hear a live show, go to a live show - you shouldn't expect to get a live song from a studio CD. And some others complain that UM is a misfit band that doesn't quite live up to its "jamband" reputation. Maybe mine is simply a personal opinion coming from a self-declared total music nerd, but I think it's better that they're not trying to fit in to a set description. This is a band that breaks down the walls built around it, which is more concerned with writing good music than writing "correct" music.

UM is not a band for every man. People looking for repetitive riffs, predictable harmonies, and easily accessible lyrics will be sorely disappointed. But if you are looking for music that challenges the listener, and takes you on a journey past countless styles, blistering guitar solos, catchy riffs, polyrhythms, incredible build-ups, and everything else a great jamband can offer, buy this CD today - you won't be disappointed.

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