{"id":493,"date":"2014-06-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2014\/2014\/06\/09\/hearing-aide-umphreys-mcgees-similar-skin\/"},"modified":"2014-06-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-06-09T00:00:00","slug":"hearing-aide-umphreys-mcgees-similar-skin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2014\/2014\/06\/09\/hearing-aide-umphreys-mcgees-similar-skin\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearing Aide: Umphrey’s McGee “Similar Skin”"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a band that has been around since 1998 and thrives mainly in the live setting, Umphrey’s McGee<\/a> has pivoted focus ever so slightly with the release of Similar Skin, <\/em>and in doing so, launched their own music label, Nothing Too Fancy Music.<\/p>\n

\"umphrey'sPast albums have marked eras of the band’s collective psyche, such as Anchor Drops<\/em> marking their presence as the next major jam band, Safety in Numbers<\/em> recorded as band members began shifting outward from their familiar post-college surroundings, and Death by Stereo<\/em> which followed the band’s rise and establishment of their influential prog-meets-jam sound. On Similar Skin,<\/em> these children of the 80’s wear their heroes on their musical sleeve, channeling influences and well honed song-writing skills into their own unique sound, bridging two generations and putting forth their best studio effort since 2004’s Anchor Drops.<\/em><\/p>\n

The first six tracks of Similar Skin<\/em> set the tone for what stands to be Umphrey’s finest studio material. “The Linear”, leading with a haunting hook from Ryan Stasik’s recurring bass groove frames the song, while Brendan Bayliss’ lyrics are some of the his best in recent years: “I got a little more now that I had before, if you take it all back I’d still have more”<\/em>, a forward-looking view on progressing through life.<\/p>\n

“Cut the Cable”, opening with Bayliss singing the refrain alongside acoustic guitar, erupts into a fierce classic prog-rock song that could fit in among the sounds of bands from the 1980s who have a profound influence on Umphrey’s sound, one that is firmly rooted as their own on Similar Skin.<\/em> Soaring guitar from Jake Cinninger adds depth to the track, with overlapping vocals from Bayliss rounding out what should develop and expand nicely in the live setting.<\/p>\n