Phish
Undermind
»
Phish
Undermind
Elektra, 2004
RiYL: Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, Widespread Panic |
Every comment about Phish for the last 20 years has included some tired variant of "their studio albums just don't measure up to their live performances," and as with most things said over and over and over again, there's some truth to it (though 1996's Billy Breathes and 2000's Farmhouse are pretty noble efforts). I'll get in my shot, too, while I still can: Undermind doesn't measure up, either. The concert experience, though, is a whole different beast, and it's not even clear that Phish should be in the studio trying to compete with their much-beloved live shows.
Even judged as a studio album, however, Undermind is an uneven effort. There are definite highlights, most of them relying on a bayou swing that provides a nice counterpoint to lead singer Trey Anastasio's spoken-word style of singing. The sound is very full -- exactly what you want to hear when four virtuosos get together with a hit-making producer (Tchad Blake) and all the studio toys they can collectively imagine. Undermind is best when Anastasio's guitar and keyboardist Page McConnell's organ blend together into a single full and layered sound, and in a few places, notably the end of "Scents and Subtle Sounds," the album captures the beauty of Phish's legendary jams.
"Undermind" certainly falls into the highlight category, its nonsense lyrics (made up entirely of three-or-more-syllable words) a pleasant excuse for Anastasio's thick, laid-back guitar fills and McConnell's Hammond flourishes. "Crowd Control" has less of a back country feel, and the organ is replaced by a straightforward grand piano, but its strength is guitar rock earnesty. In a slightly more thoughtful world it would be appearing on a pop chart near you, though, then again, a slightly more thoughtful world probably wouldn't have any pop charts. The album's best moment might be "Access Me," a love song written and sung by bassist Mike Gordon that's a catchy combination of ABBA-style synthesizers and whimsical Arlo Guthrie folk.
Sounds good, right? Well, those songs and a few others that remind Phish is supposed to be a fun band are quite good. But as with its 2002 predecessor, Round Room, Undermind is saddled with a handful of ballads that can best be described as "careful" or "familiar." They're too pristine, too soft, too uninteresting -- starting delicate and dull and ending that way. Not even the live setting would have rescued them.
So is Undermind a fitting swan song for Phish? No and yes. No, in that it's not the band's best work -- it's a hit-and-miss moment for a foursome growing older. On the other hand, a group whose hallmark has been improvisation and surprise for so long doesn't need to go out with a big finish. Something interesting to add to the archive will do just fine.
JEFF GRAY | Jeff Gray used to be an important mover and shaker in Chicago, but gave all that up to live on a beach in rural Hawaii. You'll notice him if you're there, he's the one who's very tall and a little bit sunburned. His musical tastes tend towards the mainstream -- Phish, Radiohead, The Strokes -- but he'll argue to the death that those bands are mainstream because they're 100% awesome. Jeff's always on the lookout for the next great pop song, tidbits about Michigan football, and 80's action movies on cable.