"Billy Breathes," and I sigh.
The Phish bandwagon steered into a new direction with their latest album, "Billy Breathes," dragging their whole image with them.
The Burlington Boys also managed to do this with their last studio release, "Hoist," and are subsequently weaving an indecisive track across the musical prairie.
This shift of image is apparent in both the packaging and content of the album. The liner art is deliberately sloppy, and the music uncharacteristically mellow.
The liner notes say it all -- "The Phish Stuff is pretty slow for now."
Of course Phish remain outstanding musicians (with Ph.D.s), and "Billy Breathes" will undoubtedly be a success. However, the album seems to lack the same motivation that drove songs like "Rift" and "Down With Disease."
Plenty of entangling songs still remain for fans to enjoy, however.
The slow, meaningful tune "Waste" is notable, but again, uncharacteristically calm. It is a restless love song, and this is Phish, not Bette Midler.
It does however pose questions concerning conformity and one's place in society, boasting the apt lyric "Come waste your time with me."
The first track of the 13 on the album, "Free," has been popping up on broadcast bands all over the country, and is the tune BMI, their record label, is banking on.
It's a quality song, blending Trey's twirling guitar and McConnell's pirouetting piano into a harmonious and concert-ready tune.
However, these new songs are missing something -- they are like mashed potatoes without gravy. Their slow deliberate sound replaced the frantic Phish excitement of the past.
Studio albums are only half of the Phish picture, their concerts generating the greatest revenue, and attracting the biggest following.
This album lacks the zany trip songs that have marked Phish in the past, with guitar rifts and surreal lyrics flying around.
Instead the album is comprised of these poignant, serious songs, like "Talk" and the title song "Billy Breathes." Both of these songs are made up of long narratives spoken in soft voices.
Some traditional Phish qualities persist, however, such as the layers of music so thick that you can't hear them all at once, and the twisty-turny guitar solos.
This album is definitely worth a taste test. Previous Phish albums have stood up to these stylistic directional changes, and this one will probably rebound as well.
Of course this quartet will sell thousands of albums, keeping millions of fans devout and buying tickets.
