Phish heads for deeper waters with Joy

In their latest studio album, their first since reuniting in 2009, Phish has produced their most original, thematic, and personal album to date. In past studio and live albums, the New England group has certainly been no stranger to original work. Even in their cover sessions, such as their annual Halloween shows in which they perform as other bands in character, their work has a uniquely creative intelligence. But prior to this point, the more thoughtful, personal and reflective aspect found in ‘Joy’ has been absent from their catalogue. It’s Phish at a new place in life; no longer a college party band, but now a band who’s graduated and is in the process of paying back their student loans.

Joy progresses as an ensemble more than any album Phish has released. Where albums like Lawn Boy, Hoist, and numerous live recordings are fun to listen to and can be more easily skipped through for favorite tracks, Joy is better listened to in one sitting. It’s not an album that plays as well in single-play format, which is brave in the modern world of radio-made songs. Phish has the integrity and the loyal fan following to express themselves in an old-fashioned way, recalling grandly arranged albums like the Grateful Dead’s Terrapin Station.

While much of their past work has been lighthearted and often humorous, ‘Joy’ isn’t. Even tracks like ‘Kill Devil Falls’, the fastest and most upbeat track, is really a reflection on youthful mistakes. Its placement in the album speaks to being dumb in your early 20's, and not even being aware of time wasted or behavior patterns which are unknowingly ripping relationships apart. Nearly every song on ‘Joy’ is written in past tense, but none come off as idealizing or lamenting the past. Instead, it’s a playlist which honestly and objectively remembers it, whether good or bad.

In Joy, Phish addresses maturity, honest self-reflection, and a recognition that the events of our younger years shape the way we face our latter ones. The title track speaks of losing a loved one, and while ‘Joy’ hints at sadness, it doesn’t leave the other tracks grief-stricken. Losing someone we love (whether through physical or emotional loss) seems to be like that–we heal emotionally, but we may view the world differently after they’re gone.
Joy commemorates the maturity of Phish as a band. They’ve grown from their "party band" roots, and seem to have grown as a family. This is not the same band that separated in 2004, it isn’t the same band you might have known in college, and yet it IS the same. Their creativity, their musical adeptness, their incredible talent is better than ever, yet now they’ve channeled these strengths into an album which commemorates their growth into an incredibly talented and thoroughly thoughtful group.

During the same year that Phish released ‘Joy,’the Black Crowes released their ‘Before the Frost/After the Freeze’ double album. Watching Chris Robinson and company perform today, it’s hard not to see a comparison. Early recording work from the Crowes showed incredible energy, but ‘Before the Frost/After the Freeze’ demonstrates they are now light years beyond their 1990 ‘Shake Your Money Maker’ debut. It’s as if artists like the Crowes and Phish have safely survived their youthful years to become timelessly talented musicians, and ‘Joy’ commemorates this passing into a new era.

In some ways, Joy is the soundtrack to the Facebook generation. As the online social service grows at an exponential rate, it allows long lost relationships to be reconsidered or rekindled. With each friend request from a life long ago, we have a chance to look past our current relationships to the ones which may be less current, and reflect on the ways they’ve shaped us. Joy is a beautiful album which notes the passage of time, recognizing that it is up to each of us to eventually leave the days of childhood behind and update our own status.