CD review: Phish, Joy (JEMP Records)

By Rachel Heisler

If I had my way, Phish and I never would have crossed paths. The tidbits I heard here and there over the years at parties were enough to keep my Phish quota quite filled. But sometimes life doesn’t work the way one plans, and when I met and started to hang out with this really cute Phish-Head, I found myself unwillingly submerged in music that I, up until that point, lovingly referred to as The Jam Band from Hell.

When Joy was released, I thought I owed it to the Phishsters to give their new recording at least a quick listen. I struggled to put my earlier biases aside and listen with an open mind to what had been laid down. I had previously decided that Trey Anastasio was a talented songwriter, so it was only fair that I gave him every opportunity I would give my favorite bands.

What’s blatantly obvious is that Joy is a fantastic example of how jam bands simply cannot capture the live show feel on studio recordings. It lacks the spirit that inevitably spews forth during a live show, when you’re surrounded by hundreds of zoned-out freaks and feeling the vibe given off by the band. This is a problem that all jam bands struggle to overcome, though on studio recordings you can see what the band originally wanted to do with each song, and that’s usually a fish of a different color compared to how it comes out live.

Somewhat off-putting is how fluffy the lyrics tend to come across. They defy any sense of real meaning, though one gets the impression that they are intended to be inspiring and poetic. (I.e.: “Just got back from Kill Devil Falls/Dropped my water-logged clothes in the hall/Reach for a beer, glad the I’m here/When I realize you’re not around.”- “Kill Devil Falls”). The one stunning exception to the lyrical burps is ”Time Turns Elastic”. Wordy yet passionate, it equates nature’s habits to the emotions and actions of the human psyche.  

Giving still more credit where it’s due, there are some nice, happy beats on songs like “Backwards Down the Number Line”, and some ear-catching break-downs and grooves hidden among the straighter pop numbers.

I don’t have enough experience with Phish fans to know if Joy has been a hit to date, but it’s not the worst CD ever made, and it’s not the best. But it is pleasant in it’s own fashion, and the songs are bound to take on even more life when performed in person.