Five years ago, Trey Anastasio announced to the world that he and the rest of Phish were breaking up, saying that he thought the band had "run its course." Phish played a tear-filled farewell festival in Coventry, Vt., in August of 2004, and that was that. All fans had left to satisfy their cravings was a string of live albums released between 2005 and 2008 and the "Live Phish Downloads" series.
That was until earlier this year, when the band announced their reunion and subsequently played a string of sold-out shows this summer, which included them headlining this year's Bonnaroo Festival. It is only fitting that "Joy," Phish's 14th studio album and first since 2004's "Undermind," triumphantly marks their return with proof that the Vermont four-piece have done anything but run their course. It's a 10-track, 53-minute affirmation that Anastasio and the gang have plenty left in the tank.
The album's opener and second single, "Backwards Down the Number Line," bursts at the seams with joie de vivre as Anastasio opens with the line, "Happy, happy oh my friend / Blow out candles once again / Leave the presents inside / Take my hand and we'll take a ride backwards down the number line." Full of lively guitar riffs and cheery lyrics, if the song doesn't elicit a smile by the time it ends, it might be time to call a doctor.
"Light" opens with a minute and a half of atmospheric synths that transition into a driving rock tune that doesn't let up for a moment and appears primed to become a staple of their live sets.
The rest of the album does its best to keep with the positive vibe flowing, and largely succeeds, while doing so in the wide range of influences that fans have come to expect from the band. "Kill Devil Falls" is straight-up lively rock 'n' roll, "Sugar Shack" dabbles playfully in reggae, while the short "I Been Around" is a bluesy romp sung by keyboardist Page McConnell.
Perhaps the most ambitious song on the album is the 13-minute "Time Turns Elastic." The song condenses the sprawling, nearly half-hour, three-movement orchestral piece of the same name composed by Anastasio and the Nashville Orchestra's Don Hart earlier this year. Phish's version captures all of the piece's high points, especially during the lively finale, "Carousel."
The album's message is best understood on the title track, in which Anastasio optimisticly rings out during the chorus, "We want you to be happy." Phish and fans alike can take comfort in knowing that this album should accomplish just that.
Check Out: "Backwards Down the Number Line," "Time Turns Elastic," "Joy"
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