| Every
Phish album since their first, 1988's Junta, has had
a different sound and a different texture to add to the band’s
already diverse and versatile styles of songwriting and playing.
Undermind is no exception. Phish has compiled an album
of brand new songs, as well as a few they’ve been known
to play live in the past year. With hints of the mellow jams
that defined their last album, 2002's Round Room, this
new release blends the placid sounds of songs like "Secret
Smile," "Army of One," and "Two Versions
of Me," with the high energy lyrics and jams of "The
Connection," "Undermind," "Maggie’s
Revenge," and "A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing,"
which served as the high-powered summer tour opener. The song
styles range from the soft, soothing ballad to the hard rock
jam, to their ultimate finale… a 59 second barbershop
quartet tune called "Grind."
Lyrically, Phish has created a masterpiece to end their
two-decade run as a touring band. Phish has never been known
for commonplace lyrics, but rather a combination of catchy
rhymes and phrases blended with deep themes and ideas. With
that said, Undermind really sounds like Phish’s
final album culmination. "Scents and Subtle Sounds,"
a song in Phish’s repertoire for about a year, begins
with the lyrics, “If you would stop and notice that
we number every day/But allow the many moments left uncounted
slip away.” The chorus of another song entitled "Crowd
Control" claims that “The world around me’s
turning/I’m just standing still/The time has come for
changes/Do something or I will.” Other lyrical references
are even more blatant in their purpose. "Two Versions
of Me" claims: “Now there is none/No more light
from the sun/Now waters run free/No more fish in the sea.”
The first pressing of Undermind
also included a DVD entitled Specimens of Beauty,
directed by Danny Clinch, which documents the creation of
the album in Phish’s barn studio in Vermont made famous
by their 2000 release, Farmhouse. Both Undermind
and Specimens of Beauty are a must for Phish-heads.
Those unfamiliar with the Phish experience will undoubtedly
enjoy Undermind as a musical experience. The songs
and lyrics are both deep and appealing with a variety of musical
territories. It would be easy to classify this plainly as
rock music, but that would hardly do justice to this band’s
ever-evolving sound. Three of the songs can be downloaded
for free at Phish.com, and there’s no reason not to
hear wonderful free music. It’s hard to completely understand
a Phish album (especially the last Phish album) without
a working knowledge of the dozens of other releases, not to
mention the hundreds of live shows floating around the internet.
Nevertheless, Undermind is a strong, yet sad end
to the Phish dynasty, and it is certainly an album worth owning. |
