The world of Phish has, and always will be, centered around the live experience. Simply a means to an end, the band’s studio efforts provide little more in the eyes of their fans than an expanded live arsenal. In a recent interview Phish keyboardist Page McConnell was presented with this observation, to which he replied, “It’s interesting… when we’re in the studio making a record, I already know that most of the fans aren’t going to think much of it. So many albums we’ve released have come out, and the hardcore fanbase doesn’t really embrace it.”
Enter Joy, Phish’s first studio album in five years; created on the heels of the band’s (supposed) permanent re-emergence following their 2004 break-up. To the dedicated fan base, Joy’s release was largely unanticipated — the sheer presence of the band on stage again being enough to whet their deprived appetites. Phish debuted most of the album’s 10 tracks touring this spring and summer, leaving little for the imagination upon Joy’s official September release.
Like much of Phish’s identity throughout their 23-year career, Joy’s creative and central muse is lead singer and guitarist Trey Anastasio. The opening track, “Backwards Down the Number Line”, began as a poem written by lyricist Tom Marshall. The poem was a gift to Anastasio following his release from rehab in 2008, and ultimately morphed into the chipper, pop-centric tune introducing the album. “Number Line” sets the tone for Joy — reflective, reinvigorated and remorseful. The title track — a slower, thoughtful ballad — pulls from a similar, inclusive ideology, with Anastasio explaining “we want you to be happy, this is your song, too.”
Joy is a period piece for the band, explaining the group’s reemergence as a responsible, freshly-educated, post-nostalgic outfit. As “Number Line” and “Joy” approach the listener apologetically, “Twenty Years Later”, “Light” and “I Been Around” speak to us with a “having learned something” mantra — pointing primarily to band extra-curriculars that lent so heavily to their 2004 demise. Meaningful and inspired? Yes. Cohesive and enjoyable? Eh.
What Joy mostly lacks (as with each post-Farmhouse release) are the quirky notes, silly lyrics and youthful delivery that make Phish albums “phishy”. Perhaps the most identifiable song in this respect is the catchy, well-received “Ocelot”. Staying true to the band’s newfound familial approach, Anastasio beckons us to “come hide with herd and float with the flock”, while maintaining a loose, playful guitar lick over bassist Mike Gordon’s lazy-yet-sharp groove. Similarly, “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan” is a satisfying rocker with quotable lines appreciated by the band’s demographic (“I’ve got a blank space where my mind should be”) and “Sugar Shack” treats us to the goofy, fail-safe songwriting humor of Gordon that has become a Phish album staple.
Even still, without the obligatory Trey Anastasio solo composition, a Phish album it is not. He’s managed to squeeze a self-written (and self-indulged) song into every album (see: Story of the Ghost’s “Guyute” or Round Room’s “Pebbles and Marbles”). Joy’s second to last track, the 13-minute “Time Turns Elastic”, is vintage solo Trey. Carefully elaborate instrumental pockets, questionable lyrics, with a hint of forced “epic-ness”. Tough to swallow until the nine-minute mark, “Elastic” unfortunately comes across as a poor man’s “Terrapin Station”, leaving us to wonder if Trey will ever fully realize this form of songwriting.
The band seems to understand that fans will never show albums the same excitement reserved for live shows. In fact, the quartet likely enjoys the lack of pressure that faces so many other artists when beginning a new album. As with each preceding era (early-’90s speed jazz, mid-’90s psychedelia, and late-’90s funk), present-day studio Phish is another step in a distinctly different, albeit unsatisfying, direction: pop-friendly and comparatively mainstream.
With Joy, Phish accomplishes their new focus on family and friends — a glaring vacancy in the late ’90s when the scene became overwhelming and out of control. Clearly Joy’s ultimate goal, Phish succeeded in making their return album. We’re now left to wonder when, if ever, these Vermont natives will make our return album.
MP3s:
Phish – “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan”Phish – “Ocelot”
Kyle is a friend of Stranger Dance, purveyor of fine scones and a live music fanatic. When not schilling pastries, he keeps tabs on the Bay Area music scene for Examiner.
