Word"opress" needs to start letting me put my logo at the top of the page for free.
Hello beloved readers. I have reestablished my post as the highest music critic on the planet. I am reviewing an album that I think is un-fucking believable: Umphrey’s McGee’s latest studio album, Mantis. Below is a YouTube video of a live playing of this album’s title track, Mantis.
A word about my history listening to the band. I heard about them a few years ago and didn’t really get into them that much. I actually went to an Umphrey’s show at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, KS in 2006. But, I got really wasted and missed a huge portion of the show. Then last year (or possibly even 2007… time flies when you’re baked all the time) my roommate bought Anchor Drops, a previous Umphrey’s studio album, and I thought it was amazing. I jammed it all the time. It was especially pleasant after a nice big bong toke to the brain.
Can't stop.
S0, after listening to Mantis about 10 time all the way through, I am giving it a 5-star rating. This is an amazing album, and there should be more music of the same quality floating around in the music industry, and fewer mass-produced no-talent pop-star bitches and “pop-punk” bands.
Everything about this album seems pleasant to my ears. The screaming guitar solos, the spacey keys, the vocal harmonies, the catchy melodies, the lyrics. The masterpiece of the album is the title track, Mantis. The epic 11-minute features everything from heavy metal guitar riffs to smooth reggae. The first line of the song (“We believe there’s something worth dying for”) has been stuck in my head for days. It is an absolutely brilliant song… I wish I had written it.
So there it is. A 5-star rating. A great album. Do what you have to do… go to your local record store, go online and buy it… but just get it and have a listen.
Toke on, planet Earth. Peace be with you.
-420man
