Anna Butterss Mighty Vertebrate

Critic's Take

In his attentive, slightly wry voice, Matthew Blackwell presents Anna Butterss's Mighty Vertebrate as a record of ambitious experiments that repeatedly pay off, especially on “Bishop” and “Breadrich”. Blackwell admires the band’s exactitude and genre-hopping - he frames “Bishop” as a three-bar phrasing triumph and “Breadrich” as a politically charged centerpiece. The review balances praise for technical command with a note that the album’s scope sometimes dilutes focus, yet it still positions these tracks as the best songs on Mighty Vertebrate for listeners seeking precision and purpose.

Key Points

• The best song is "Bishop" for its inventive three-bar phrasing and commanding low-end groove.
• The album’s core strengths are technical precision, genre versatility, and moments of explicit political urgency.

Themes

Critic's Take

Wyndham Wallace hears Anna Butterss turning genre labels inside out on Mighty Vertebrate, and the best songs - notably “Ella” and “Breadrich” - show why. Wallace praises “Ella” for its nocturnal, sax-drenched spell and celebrates “Breadrich” as a patient, funk-and-prog-fuelled feast. The reviewer frames the album as ‘jazz plus’, cataloguing its afrobeat, post-rock and funk inflections while keeping the performances rooted in improvisatory discipline. The result is a sweeping, inclusive record whose top tracks reward repeated listens and justify calling them the best tracks on Mighty Vertebrate.

Key Points

• “Ella” is the album’s standout for its nocturnal saxophone atmosphere and smoky spell.
• Mighty Vertebrate excels by blending jazz with afrobeat, post-rock and funk into an inclusive 'jazz plus' statement.

Themes

Critic's Take

Anna Butterss' Mighty Vertebrate finds its strongest moments in tracks like “Bishop” and “Dance Steve”, where the bass leads with melodic authority and inventive interplay. The reviewer praises how “Bishop” sets a meditative, atmospheric tone and how “Dance Steve” builds into a hypnotic groove, making them the best songs on Mighty Vertebrate. Likewise, “Pokemans” is noted for blending organic and electronic elements, adding texture to the album's top tracks. The album's closing “Saturno” is singled out as a serene finale that cements the record's cohesive vision.

Key Points

• “Bishop” is the best song for establishing the album’s meditative tone and showcasing Butterss’ melodic bass leadership.
• The album’s core strength is its genre-blending textures and cohesive arrangements that balance improvisation with composition.

Themes

Critic's Take

Anna Butterss's Mighty Vertebrate foregrounds playful compositional challenges while delivering clear best tracks such as “Dance Steve” and “Lubbock”. The reviewer's tone is admiring and detailed, praising “Dance Steve” as a beguiling, body-moving track and noting how “Lubbock” takes cues from Tortoise with stately sax. Other highlights like the tender “Ella” and percussive “Seeing You” show Butterss's range across instruments and textures. The piece frames these songs as the album's standout moments while situating the record firmly in a cerebral LA jazz-post-rock nexus.

Key Points

• The best song is “Dance Steve” because Parker's guest spot makes it beguiling and body-moving.
• The album's core strengths are playful compositional variety, instrumental range, and a cerebral LA jazz-post-rock sensibility.

Themes

Critic's Take

Measured and slightly wry, Ben Forrest finds the best tracks on Mighty Vertebrate toward the end of the record and flags them as the moments that escape the album’s prevailing lo-fi haze. Anna Butterss gets praise when the production leans into live instrumentation, making tracks like “Saturno” and “Shorn” stand out as the best songs on Mighty Vertebrate. The writing stresses that these highlights feel more organic and cinematic compared with the rest of the album, which often settles into background-friendly, study-beats territory. The voice remains skeptical but admiring of Butterss’ talent, noting that the sax-led moments and cleaner arrangements are the record’s true strengths.

Key Points

• ‘Saturno’ is the best song because its cinematic, instrument-forward arrangement showcases Butterss’ strengths beyond lo-fi beats.
• The album’s core strength is strong musicianship and sax-led moments, but overreliance on lo-fi electronic production makes much of it feel like background music.