Umphrey's Mcgee "Death By Stereo"

Something terrible has happened. The members of Umphrey's Mcgee must have been kidnapped because there is no other explanation for why their new album Death By Stereo (ATO) falls so short of expectations. It doesn't seem to have taken much effort to put these songs together.

The opening track, "Miami Virtue," was released as a single and sounds like it was written that way. It's an uncomfortably conventional song that could have been written or performed by anybody desperately reaching for air time. The second tune, "Domino Theory," doesn't get any better and sounds a little like an original song by a Strokes tribute band. For a band that has earned themselves a wide and loyal fan base because of their musicianship, the start couldn't be any more disappointing.

Eventually there are aspects that get closer to Umphrey's sound, but it comes in the form of "Booth Love," which they've been playing live for years. In fact, there are at least two other tracks that fans will recognize from performances in recent years. While it is nice to get studio recordings of these pieces (especially "Hajimemashite"), there were several songs they played at Summer Camp '11 that were supposed to be included, but are unaccountably absent. If anybody is interested in hearing my favorite missing songs, post a comment with your email and I'll send them along.

I'm not really certain what this record was supposed to accomplish, but hopefully it's not an indication of any stunted or stagnated growth as a group. While it isn't completely devoid of highlights, like "Search 4" or "Conduit," it's not one I would recommend for a new or longtime fan. Let's just hope that they can put this behind them and we'll treat it like some 1980s Grateful Dead album. It displays a wide range of playing styles, and the tracks leaner run times might make it attractive to new listeners, but that is simply a mistake when recording. From the sound and other reviews, it seems Death By Stereo was made with the intention to reach a wider audience. The result leaves a lot of loyal listeners by the wayside.

One more interesting point about this release. Umphrey's posted on their website and Facebook urging fans to go pick up the album at their local, independent record store. I visited several different locations around their home city of Chicago and couldn't find so much as a poster advertising for it.