On May 17, Umphrey’s McGee will release Anchor Drops Redux, an expanded re-release and the first-ever vinyl pressing of the band’s landmark 2004 record Anchor Drops. Ahead of the forthcoming 15th-anniversary LP, the Chicago-based group is highlighting songs off Anchor Drops with a new video series featuring “a track-by-track deep dive into the history of the album, stories behind the songs, and musings on the early years of the band’s time in Chicago.”
For the first episode of the series, Umphrey’s McGee has released a clip focused on the thought process behind “Plunger,” the opening track of the record. The clip, which was directed and edited by lighting designer Jefferson Waful and produced by Kevin Browning, initially focuses on the song’s unique phrasing, with various members of the group explaining its unusual time signature and opening stanzas. From there, Brendan Bayliss begins to talk about the meaning of the song itself, referencing the unexpected departure of drummer Mike Mirro around that time and the collective insecurity about the future of the project.
Next, Umphrey’s McGee begins to talk about a songwriting process of conceptually using building blocks to create compositions. Explains Kris Myers, “Various parts that make up a song are each a building block. That can be a verse idea is one block, a chorus or melody is another block. You start snapping a few of those blocks together, and a song starts to take shape.” The video then highlights additional “blocks” that were brought together as the song developed, including percussive elements, such as Andy Farag‘s use of castanets.
Watch the first installment in Umphrey’s McGee’s track-by-track reflection for Anchor Drops Redux below, courtesy of the band:
