For the last two decades, Phish has succeeded in building a reputation as one of the best live bands in music history. Unfortunately, they have rarely been able to translate their live awesomeness into a solid studio album. Their new album Joy is no exception to the rule. In fact it takes the rule and dips it in cement, making the listener all the more convinced that Phish should give up on trying to make an album that genuinely reflects their unique sound.
The real problem with Joy is that it is equally as lackluster as their last studio album Undermind, and for all the same reasons: both albums show the the band shifting their sound away from experimental music and gravitating more and more towards pop songwriting. With the exception of the 13 minute “Time Turns Elastic”, all the other songs on Joy are simple melodic songs about 5 minutes long or under. While simple short songs might make this an easier album for the general public to digest, I – as a Phish fan – am left wondering whether my favorite band has sold out their sound.
But see, the problem is not just their sound, it’s also their lyrics. For your consideration, I present some lyrics from the first track of the new album.
Happy happy oh my friend, blow out candles once again. Leave the presents all inside, take my hand and lets take a ride backwards down the number line. (“Backwards Down the Number Line”, Joy)
To the undiscerning ear there probably doesn’t seem to be anything strange about these lyrics: they are accessible, digestible, simple, and straight to the point. But to any long-time Phish fan these lyrics should be a wake up call: Something has gone horribly wrong!…Since when did Phish become so literal! Is this really the same band that not so long ago was singing nonsensical lyrics like:
Time for the meatstick, bury the meatstick, take out the meatstick time. Woah, shocks my brain. (“Meatstick”, No Album)
Or…
Floyd is dead, he’s nothing but ripple, ’cause Milly took that paper and sliced him on the nipple. (“Fee”, Junta)
Or…
I’d like to cut your head off so I can weigh it, what do you say? Five pounds? Six pounds? Seven pounds? (“Weigh”, Rift)
Clearly something has changed. It’s almost as if Phish came back from their break-up and reformed into two completely different bands: the cheesy Phish on your iPod, and the avant garde Phish at the concert.
Which path will Phish continue on over the next few years? Only time will tell. But for now, take a long time Phish fans advice: Go see a live show, and avoid listening to the new album Joy.
Album Rating: C+
Images Used in this Post
IMG_0853 courtesy of Flickr user irisgoldstein published under the CC license.
Phish courtesy of Flickr user david drexler published under the CC license.
5 Comments
Hey Andrew, has the whole band gotten back together? Is it still the original lineup?
I have very little experience with Phish. The only album I have is their live performance of the White Album which is outstanding.
Yeah the live performance of the White Album is impressive. I was lucky enough to see them play the last half of Abbey Road live, as well as a seriously awesome version of “A Day in the Life” (these guys clearly love the Beatles).
The whole band is back again and their live playing hasn’t suffered one bit. At their 2-day performance at Bonnaroo ‘09 they played a few songs off the new album and the renditions made me very excited to get Joy. But lo and behold, every song on the album sounds flat and boring. The funny thing is that I know all of these flat and boring songs will be transformed into amazing material during live performances.
Most bands can be judged as good or bad based on their recorded material, whereas Phish can only be judged by their live shows because albums have always been secondary for this band. And this should be expected, as they are one of the few bands around that got famous relying solely on word of mouth and constant touring, rather than on highly polished and hyper-marketed music.
From everything I have ever heard, I definitely would not mind seeing these guys in concert one day.
Hi Andrew, Nice work on the blog! I’ve listened to all of Joy both studio and live on the last two tours. I am not impressed either. It’s better than Undermind, worse than Round Room imo. But that being said, it really doesn’t bother me that much. When news hit that they were regrouping, the boys issued a statement saying they were writing new songs to move forward… they weren’t going to just play the old stuff every show. That’s pretty much where the albums come in. An excuse to take some time and write new material.
I will one-up you and say that their live shows have been far better than where they left off. Trey sober is much better than all coked up, and the rest of the guys are all on point. I appreciate that they’re trying to do more of the old stuff… Icculus at Merriweather, Fluffhead Hampton opener, Harpua tour closer, the upcomming Halloween show (7 days!). They went out and had to buy a new light rig (which is pretty kick ass) and new trampolines for YEM. It’s easy to see they’re having as much fun as we are.
Joy has some decent tunes live… Ocelot, Devil Kill Falls, Sugar Shack are all fun. I remember not liking Round Room as much as I do now, and hearing Grind off Undermind has been fun too. I think in time it will all grow on us. In the end I hardly listen to any of their studio work anymore with the exception of Rift. I’ll say one last thing… I want Tom to come back and write a new song (or at least come out and sing one or two)! He was at the Red Rocks run but didn’t make it up on stage. I guess they opted for Mickey Hart instead.
BTW – have you seen this? http://jamtopia.com/blog/phish-festival-8-cover-album-teaser/
I agree that Round Room grows on you, and “Grind” is also the only track I listen to off of Undermind.
As for Festival 8, I hate you, lol. My cousin’s wedding is that weekend, and I have to be in his wedding party, so I can’t make it to the festival. Can any one spell FRUSTRATING! 8 sets, 1 acoustic, and taboot you’re gonna see them cover an entire “mystery” album!…its gonna be awesome and I’m so jealous!
I’ve seen the cover album teaser and its pretty cool. As for what mystery album they decide to play…I really hope they cover some Dead. Anthem of the Sun would be a real trip to see live, and done well, but that’s not happening. It’d also be neat if they covered Workingman’s Dead during their acoustic set.