Jam band Umphrey's McGee never committed themselves to full scale jamming, and always kept their eyes set on the mainstream as well. All their studio albums contain a few tracks to could make it to AOR stations and their latest effort it's not us is no exception, with songs about rocky relationships (The Silent Type, Looks) and even a power ballad of some sort (You & You Alone).
On the other side of the coin they are prone to progressive and metal excursions and that's where the real meat on this new album can be found. It all comes together in Remind Me, a composition that starts out as a sad funk song before exploding into percussive and guitar pyrotechnics, the kind of song that be fully enhanced by synced strobe lightning when performed live as a hybrid of Metallica and King Crimson showcase.
Umphrey's McGee ciome their own when they find the middle ground between crowd pleasing and well contained geekery. It may more interesting from an artistic point of view to paint with a Dark Brush, but reminiscing about a possible happy ending in Maybe Someday will ship more units or generate more streams. They won't make a choice, an why should they. Hovering in the middle has been their bread and butter for 20 years. They are a live band first and throwing the net wide to pull in the crowds has served them well.
Umphrey's McGee:
Brendan Bayliss: guitar, vocals
Jake Cinninger: guitar, vocals
Joel Cummins: keyboard, piano, vocals
Andy Farag: percussion
Kris Myers: drums, vocals
Ryan Stasik: bass
it's not us will be available form the band's website as a download, CD, and vinyl, plus a deluxe package housed inside a leather bound book. The latter includes double 180 gram (with an Augmented Reality component), CD, download, bonus 7" EP featuring two unreleased tracks, and a 72 page color coffee table book. Release date: January 12th.
Tracks:- The Silent Type
- Looks
- Whistle Kids
- Half Delayed
- Maybe Someday
- Remind Me
- You & You Alone
- Forks
- Speak Up
- Piranhas
- Dark Brush
- 01/11 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
- 01/12 Cincinatti, OH @ Taft Theatre
- 01/13 Cincinatti, OH @ Taft Theatre
- 01/19 New York, NY @ The Beacon Theatre
- 01/20 New York, NY @ The Beacon Theatre
- 01/21 New York, NY @ The Beacon Theatre
- 01/25 New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
- 01/26 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
- 01/27 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
- 01/28 Jim Thorpe, PA @ Penn’s Peak
- 02/01 Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
- 02/02 Kalamazoo, MI @ Wings Event Center
- 02/03 Kalamazoo, MI @ Wings Event Center
- 02/15 Washington, DC @ The Anthem
- 02/16 Asheville, NC @ ExploreAsheville.com Arena
- 02/17 Asheville, NC @ ExploreAsheville.com Arena
- 02/18 Tampa, FL @ WhigFest Music & Arts Festival