After a decade and a half of togetherness, Phish has decided to call it a day.
Undermind is an appropriately diverse collection that shall serve as the eclectic band's swan song.
"Scents and Subtle Sounds (Intro)" sets the mood for the album. It's a gently orchestrated meditation on the value of stopping to smell the roses and living in the moment. The song is reprised later on the album as a rousing and dramatic prog-rock piece and its theme is one that recurs throughout. The Phish songs here delve mostly into concerns of the heart and mind rather than subjects from the material world.
Debuting in 1988 with Junta, Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell made their name on the Northeast college circuit, touring like crazy and forming a fanbase there. Anastasio handles most all of the songwriting, though everyone gets their shot on Undermind.
Phish has long been compared to the Grateful Dead, not only because their freewheeling, guitar-driven jams and multi-part harmonies resemble the elder group, but because their Phans are inspired to follow the band on the road from show to show.
"Nothing" is one of those Dead-like harmonious ramblers as is the keyboard-led melody, "The Connection." "A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing," is a subtle, psychedelic session, but there is more to the band than loose, hippie jams. Phish don't simply borrow from psychedelia, they draw from the tradition of jazz improvisation as well as other rock forms.
"Undermind" is a clever and funky blues jam built around the prefix "un" : "Undecided, undefined, undisturbed yet undermined. . . " Gordon's "Access Me" has the earmarks of a quirky new wave song, not unlike something by the Talking Heads (Phish once performed an entire Heads album live in concert). Fishman also draws inspiration from T-Heads on his joyous, percussive snippet, "Tomorrow's Song." McConnell's "Army of One," is steeped in Americana, the type in which the masters of the style, The Band, once specialized.
The instrumental "Maggie's Revenge" is a somber piece as is the subtly orchestrated "Secret Smile." To finish things off, the band sends-up a cappella doo-wop on the set closer, "Grind." A bonus DVD, "Specimens of Beauty," is included with the package.
Once again, Phish proves they are capable of pulling from a diverse range of sounds and styles to create their own unique blend (hey, not unlike the ice cream flavor that's named for them). They shall be missed in concert, but Undermind, leaves a lasting impression and one final, delicious taste of a '90s original.
By Daisy Duarte
