Umphrey’s McGee shows new side with “Death By Stereo”

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It has been nearly three years since the Chicago based prog-rocking outfit, Umphrey’s McGee, released the progressively unswerving album, Mantis, onto the world.  Since that release in January of 2009, the band has scarcely broken from touring, yet they found time to lay down many tracks including those that make up their September 13th, 2011 release, Death By Stereo, on ATO Records.  In contrast to Mantis, which the band kept nearly completely under wraps until its release, half of the songs on Death By Stereo have made their way into the band’s massive tour repertoire, including “Hajimemashite”, which finally found its way to record after long being a staple track at Umphrey’s McGee shows.

Death By Stereo starts off with “Miami Virtue”, a quick pulsing tune that flaunts a fresh new style of writing for the band.  Singer/guitarist Brendan Bayliss fills the song with lyrics of a kid who thought he knew everything, only to grow to find that time is running out.  The first chorus line, “You never have as long as you want, so don’t get caught up” carries through the song which stands out lyrically as the strongest on the album.  With its upbeat tempo and quality lyrics, “Miami Virtue” is destined to be crowd favorite at shows.  Lighting-guru, Jefferson Waful, has also promised plenty of turquoise and pink (ala Miami Vice) to back it up.

“Domino Theory” is, with exception to “Dim Sun” at track seven, certainly the most unique departure on Death By Stereo. It starts with a snare drum crack, then Bayliss instantly jumps in calling lyrics against a heavy guitar chord response.  Between choruses, the music drops into a bass-drums-cowbell mix quite similar to the bridge in “Balaclava” by the British rock band, Arctic Monkeys.  “Domino Theory” ends with a heavy chorus backed by guitarist Jake Cinninger’s screeching guitar.

Track three is “Search 4”, a song the band has been playing live the last few years.  For the first time on Death By Stereo,  Jake Cinninger finds his way to the mic as lead vocalist and the tune is classic Umphrey’s McGee in every way, with lyrics once again speaking of the shortness of time.  Bassist Ryan Stasik lays down a beautiful line at the beginning of the bridge that leads the song into a massive solo by Cinninger that drummer, Kris Myers, finally backs with a double-bass rumble.

“Booth Love” stands out at track four, and once again Jake Cinninger is on vocals.  The song is driven by a light and mellow 70’s funk rhythm that has Umphrey’s McGee heading in another new direction.  The slight addition of horns works wonderfully on this track that the band has been playing live since 2010.  Producers, Kevin Browning and Manny Sanchez did a stunning job layering this track, making it an extreme pleasure on the headphones.  “The Floor” is another older song that finally made it onto an album.  This is one of the band’s heavier live tracks, and they seemingly effortlessly were able to capture that live energy on this recording which progressively gets heavier until it ultimately snaps at the end, waking the listener to reality.

“Wellwishers” is track six and was the first official release on Death By Stereo, soon finding its way into several live setlists over the course of last summer.  Brendan Bayliss takes the reigns on this one, which is a steady drive with the vocals hiding right behind Ryan Stasik’s bassline.  Horns again are present, and thankfully the producers kept them well behind the rest of the music not distracting from Joel Cummins’ pensive keyboards, and the rest of the rhythm section which is the best part of this song.

Jake Cinninger plays track seven, “Dim Sun”, solo with just an acoustic guitar.  It is an extremely beautiful, albeit very short, instrumental track that evokes thoughts of renewal.  Although it presents a break on the album, it doesn’t seem to fit the mold of Death By Stereo.  I personally would rather have seen “Dim Sun” grouped with other songs on an acoustic album or ep.  That would be a real treat for fans.

The funk returns with “Deeper”, a track backed by a prominent string section and written and sung by Jake Cinninger.  This another gorgeous track by Cinninger, with a consistently similar 70’s vibe to that of “Booth Love”.  Brendan Bayliss returns on vocals for “Conduit”.  “Conduit” has been played often live over the last few years, and with the first listen it easily could have been a track that never made it on to their 2009 release, Mantis.  It is a very solid track that starts off with a big and dry Led Zeppelin-sounding drum beat.  The guitars that follow certainly have a Zeppelinesque feel as well.

“Hajimemashite” provides the proper ending to Death By Stereo.  The song has been played since the band’s early years, but it feels as good on this album as it ever has–although fans may be surprised by how soon it is over.  It starts off with Bayliss on acoustic guitar with touches of strings in the distance before exploding into the song that so many fans have grown to love.  The chorus has always been especially touching, with Bayliss singing, “I didn’t know things were supposed to be this way, No one ever told me this before, It’s alright was all I heard, This will blow away…”.  Jake Cinninger then lights up the song with a monster solo before the song and the album ends.

With an album that seems to speak of growth within our limited time here, Death By Stereo, is aptly titled and the new songs are a fresh new launching point for the band.  While it is missing the overall cohesiveness of Mantis, Death By Stereo displays many interesting new directions the band can take and incorporate into their upcoming live performances.  The production by longtime sound man, Kevin Browning with the help of Manny Sanchez, is inviting and lucid.  Most fans should be extremely happy with the results.

Check out the Umphrey’s McGee official website for ordering information on bundled packages of Death By Stereo, as well as tour dates, photos and more.

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Track List (41:38 total)
01. Miami Virtue (3:49)
02. Domino Theory (3:47)
03. Search 4 (6:18)
04. Booth Love (3:39)
05. The Floor (5:30)
06. Wellwishers (4:52)
07. Dim Sun (1:51)
08. Deeper (3:51)
09. Conduit (4:11)
10. Hajimemashite (3:46)

Independent record stores are also giving away the Cover It ep, with the purchase of Death By Stereo.  For a list of independent record stores near you, click here.

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Track List (42:10 total)
01. Shine on You Crazy Diamond – Pink Floyd (14:59)
02. National Anthem – Radiohead (6:46)
03. Girlfriend is Better – Talking Heads (12:05)
04. Can’t You Hear Me Knocking – The Rolling Stones (8:20)