Phish - 'Joy'

Phish is back from Gamehendge this year for the first time since 2004 with an energetic reunion tour. This huge tour sold out all over the country, and not only included several weekend runs at certain venues, but also a show at Fenway Park, two days of headlining the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee and perhaps the most exciting of all, Festival 8, a three day Phish only Halloween Festival that is going to be held in Indio, California. To top all this off, the boys have also released a fantastic new album. ‘Joy’ dropped last week and is chock full of genre-bending tracks, crunchy jams and lyrics that show the maturity of a band at this stage of their existence. Though the album was just released, fans have been getting a taste of ‘Joy’ and it’s bonus disc of extra content, ‘Party Time,’ since the reunion tour kicked off at the Hampton Coliseum back in March.
‘Joy’ starts out with an ode to friendship, ‘Backwards Down the Number Line.’ This tune, written by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and lyricist Tom Marshall, really shows you the bond the band members have as musicians and friends. This is quite touching and powerful, considering how long the band has been around and what they have been through. Over twenty-five years later, its songs like ‘Backwards Down the Number Line’ that show how the band has matured, as artists, friends, and members of Phish. This is a choice track from the album.
‘Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan’ officially gets the party started with an awesome Trey riff to start the song off. ‘Stealing Time’ also has interesting lyrics such as ‘Got a blank space where my mind should be’; quite an anthem for all of the band’s college age fans starting school the same week the new album came out. ‘Stealing Time’ fades out into the album’s namesake, ‘Joy,’ quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs the band has ever performed. ‘Joy’ is a slow, uplifting ballad seemingly dedicated to a little girl named ‘Joy.’ Lyricist Marshal cuts no corners, and the band brings everything together here for a solid slow ballad.
‘Sugar Shack’ is a light funk tune written by bassist Mike Gordon. The music is very solid, and at first listen it’s quite obvious it’s a Mike song by the groovy bass riffs. The lyrics of the song though, as are many of Gordon’s tunes within the Phish catalog, have a very country feel to them. The combination is pleasing and the song is good.
‘Ocelot’ is a high-energy song, and a great example of the band’s versatility. The song has a very ska/reggae feel to start, but the boys break out the funk later on, encouraging listeners to bust a move. After ‘Ocelot,’ ‘Kill Devil Falls’ busts into the mix as one of the faster paced songs from ‘Joy.’ The song is about the Kill Devil Falls, and it sounds like an awesome hang out.
‘Light is the first sign of psychedelic rock on the album. It’s starts out in a very ambient way with Page on the keys. Soon though drummer Fishman and Gordo come in strong with support. The trippy intro is short lived, but the rest of the track is more than satisfying.
‘Time Turns Elastic’ is from Trey’s excursion with a full orchestra, and is released in this form on the album of the same name. The song is now performed by the entire band on ‘Joy,’ and is fantastic. ‘Time Turns Elastic’ is a very special song. It reminds me of past Phish epics such as ‘Fluffhead,’ ‘Harry Hood’ and ‘Divided Sky.’ Though it seems a little too inflated with lyrics to become a jam vehicle such as these, listening to the song reveals the multidimensional structure fully supportive of jam possibilities. Of all the songs on ‘Joy,’ ‘Time Turns Elastic’ is quite possibly the most exciting.
‘Twenty Years Later’ is the bottom slice of bread to the ‘Joy’ sandwich. It deals heavily with some of the same themes as ‘Backwards Down the Number Line’ and radiates with the same maturity and love contained in the band. “Twenty years later” indeed, but kickin’ just as hard as ever.
‘Joy’ aims to please and it hit its mark. Though Phish’s main squeeze is the live show, Joy is a very high quality work and is very accessible for anyone who wants to get into Phish. What lies ahead for Phish from here? Will the Famous Flying Mockingbird fly again? Let’s hope so.
11 out of 10