Phish
Evolve
** out of *****
The Vermont based jamband titans Phish are known for their amazing live interplay, concerts that run the gamut of emotional experiences and top notch technical skills. What they have never been known for is crafting classic albums that non-fans can easily get into and enjoy. Their sixteenth studio album Evolve will do nothing to change that narrative.
The quartet of Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, and Page McConnell are veterans and have been at this for so long that their new studio work just exists at this point to keep the band moving forward. Like with Fuego, Big Boat, Sigma Oasis, etc., the cult band does not need to release anymore studio albums, they simply do it because they love playing together and Anastasio can not stop writing songs.
Trey, while the clear driving force of the band at this point, is also the major culprit here as lyrically his words leave a lot to be desired. At times the lyrics can be cringe inducing, at times bland, and mostly just not very affecting. On the other side of the coin, Phish's musical production, working with outside help Bryce Goggin and Vance Powell this go around, can't be topped. Each instrument, including the string sections the band brings in, sounds rich, crisp and alive.
Phish hits all of their normal notes with Evolve. Getting off-kilter funky with the fun opening "Hey Stranger" and Gordon's lone contribution "Human Nature", which bumps winningly. They deliver their patented upbeat lithe bounce during the sunshiny title track (which adds a string section to their sound) as well as "Pillow Jets" which gets out there to wrap up, hinting at the experimental nature of the song they could deliver in the live setting.
The upbeat rocker "Waves of Hope" features a nice, tight guitar solo from Anastasio while "Life Saving Gun" produces quirky sci-fi rock and "Oblivian" messes with sonics via unique pedals from Trey and synth work from McConnell. The best track offered is the ballad "Lonely Trip" with a simple poetic tone and delivery, but even on this song the band over does it, pushing it towards the six minute mark when three and half would better serve the cute tune.
That elongation of every track here dilutes the flow and impact of the songs. Phish sink into their worst impulses on a few offerings. "Monsters" uses trite lyrics and cliche imagery around overblown theatrics while "Ether Edge" pushes their mix of pop/prog to the breaking point with cheesy lyrics coated on top.
All that said, the band is exactly who they have always been even as the years slide by, one of the best live acts ever and one who any fan would be hard pressed to say have made a great studio record. The title may be Evolve, but this is the same old Phish, love them or not.
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