CD review - Phish, Joy (2009)

Phish is back again. After splitting in 2004, it wasn't clear whether they'd be recording again. Then a summer tour followed their reunion concert earlier this year. Now, Joy, their 14th studio album has been released.

The band has always been somewhat schizophrenic between their live shows and their studio albums. In fact the weakest part of early albums like Junta or Lawn Boy is that they tried to capture the energy and excitement of their live shows and missed the mark. By Rift they were starting to take advantage of the studio to produce a more album oriented sound. They'd play many of the songs live, but their albums and live shows diverged.

Joy fits into the progression of their studio sound. Their five year break, where all the members worked on solo projects, didn't really add many new influences or sounds. They picked up more or less where they left off.

Trey is responsible for most of the writing (along with Tom Marshall). Bassist Mike Gordon and keyboard player Page McConnell each contribute a song as well. Trey's fluid playing and Mike's bouncy groove are all over the disc. Jon Fishman's drum work is most interesting on Sugar Shack, Time Turns Elastic, and Light. Page also contributes some strong keys on Light.

Light is easily my favorite track - there are a lot of remnants of Quadrophenia-era Who influence. The melody has elements of The Real Me and Doctor Jimmy. Mike channels an impressive John Entwistle bass line. The song starts with a looser intro, that drops into a driving bass/keyboard section. The song builds at the end with layered vocal parts that slide into a capella repetition.

Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan sounds like a reworking of Wilson along with some of the other material from The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday.

The official "jam song" of the album, Time Turns Elastic, clocks in at 13:30. It breaks into sections, with a relatively formal shift between the parts. This lacks the fluidity of early grooves like You Enjoy Myself.

True fans will love this unquestioningly. There are some decent songs as well as a couple of weaker offerings (I Been Around and Ocelot) but not much new ground. Those less familiar with the band might be better served by digging deeper into Phish's catalog to Picture of Nectar or A Live One, depending on their tolerance for looser free form jams.

Something about Joy makes me long for a nice frosty mint julep. Pour me one and I'll enjoy myself.