Phish - "Joy"

Phish
"Joy"
JEMP Records
Released Aug. 25, 2009

Breaking up must have done Phish some good, because their reunion album is the most focused release in over a decade.

Credit must go to Steve Lillywhite, who produced that previous disc, 1996's "Billy Breathes." He keeps the songs tight and polished, from the bright melodies of "Light" to the bluesy guitar work of "Stealing From the Faulty Plan." Apart from a throwaway barrelhouse blues jam the album is uniformly strong.

How the material will translate to a live setting is another question - Phish is known for releasing bad albums filled with material that is great live, so what happens when the band actually releases a good one? The 15-minute "Time Turns Elastic" is the obvious candidate for "live favorite" - an eclectic prog-rock jam that nods to the Who and Yes and feels the most like Phish's early work.

Although I own several of their early albums, I'm not a Phish fan by any stretch of the imagination. It is exciting to hear something new from the band that actually captures my interest though. Maybe I'll give them a chance live the next time they come through the Valley.

Except that would mean having to deal with their fans. Ugh.