Mighty Vertebrate - Vinyle

Description

Mighty Vertebrate is Anna Butterss's debut album with International Anthem. Born in Adelaide, the bassist and composer has been in high demand for tours and studio sessions in Los Angeles since moving to the city in 2014. She has collaborated with renowned artists from the experimental, jazz, and pop scenes, but her most notable contributions to the emerging Los Angeles scene remain her involvement with Jeff Parker's ETA IVtet and the proto-trance supergroup SML, which Pitchfork describes as "the exciting next step of a dynamic music scene in Los Angeles." "I had just finished a long tour at the end of 2022 and I just wanted to compose," Butterss explains. "The best way for me is to set a specific and targeted goal. For example: to compose a piece where the bass does not have its primary function. I will work on it for an hour, then stop." I will compose a piece based on groups of three-measure phrases. I want to sample an element and turn it into a song. I will start with a drum machine. The music itself beautifully reflects this structure, the material being crafted precisely and melodically by Butterss long before considering production. They bring together a group of long-time trusted collaborators to bring their compositions to life: Ben Lumsdaine (drums, guitar, production), Josh Johnson (saxophone), and Gregory Uhlmann (guitar), with a notable appearance by Jeff Parker. The scope and range of the result would undoubtedly have been difficult to achieve otherwise. From the groovy Shakespearean intro of the opening track "Bishop" to the cinematic and spacey doom atmosphere of "Seeing You," there are many elements to integrate into a coherent concept. On Mighty Vertebrate, Butterss and her team succeed brilliantly.