Customer Reviews

Farmhouse

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

While this album is definately "song phish" as opposed to "live phish," this may be their best "song" album to date. After playing epic (or mind numbing, depending on your perspective) 10 to 20-something minute long versions of songs like "sand," "piper," or "gotta jiboo," it is pretty amazing to me that the band managed to break them down into bite-sized gems that can accomodate the attention span of my 10-year-old, boy band loving little sister.

While most people complain that the rest of the band just stepped back and let Trey take the reins, I could care less; the songs speak for themselves. "Farmhouse" and "Bug" have a singer-songwriter quality to them that few other phish songs have achieved. "back on the train" is a look back to the summer '99 shows; "Heavy Things" is blissfully sugar sweet, yet equally satisfying. The subtle horn arrangements are perfect for a grooving "Gotta Jibboo," and the string-enhanced "Dirt" reminds us of "fast enough for you" or "if I could." The acoustic "sleep" and "josie wales" are delicate and sweet, and they manage to set off the dynamic "sand" and "first tube" from the rest of the album. "first tube" and "piper" sound so live that, as with junta or lawn boy, you may forget you're listening to a studio album.

While my favorite thing about phish will always be Trey's epic but intricate compositions like "guyute," "divided sky," "david bowie," "yem," etc, this album will be remembered in my mind as the one where phish finally managed write a cohesive album based not on extensive jams or compositions, but on songs.

Wow, It starts from the whimsical twang of Farmhouse and sets us into motion, dragging us under the water to the bottom of the sea, where a barn sits. Twist will spin you around and around until it lets you go. This spins you into a corner called BUG! The first and hopefully not last attempt at an alterna rock song straight from the backwoods of Vermont. This gives us a boost into the train, where we start to ride the rails...Back on the Train. WOW is all I can say for Heavy Things, it starts off like...BOOM! and just doesn't stop from there. Gotta Jiboo is a great song in the memory of Dr Seuss rhymes, how it makes you move... you just can't help it! Dirt, slows us down a bit to a beautifully orchestrated piece, that definitley shines above any of the slow songs from Billy Breathes. Piper might be my surprise favorite, after seeing it live I was afraid to hear the short version, but they made it well worth the 5 minutes. Sleep is probably another good quiet song, but for this album it has been placed merely as a space to blend Piper and the next song, The Inlaw Josie Wales, with Jerry Douglas on Dobro and Bela Fleck on banjo, WOW! Our next two installments are Sand and First Tube, get your dancin' shoes on, it is the closest i have heard PHISH come to recreating a live show in the studio. Driver is awesome, it makes me feel happy and fuzzy and warm inside. And finally Mist, this is the reason to buy the import...TRUST ME!

This disc continues in the studio tradition of "Billy Breathes" & "Story of the Ghost." The songs are short (longest one at about six minutes), there is an irresistable pop hook, and the band shows that they're more versatile than just monster grooves in concert. I think its nice to have two totally different aspects of the same band: 1] Amazing live band that does incredible improv (and thankfully releases splendid live albums) & 2] Band that is beginning to mature in the studio. I like the shorter studio stuff on recordings. Studio jams get old after a while, plus its nice to have a disc where you can finish 4 or 5 songs while driving to work!

My first reaction when I head "Farmhouse" was that I couldn't believe how pop-ish it sounded. But I think we have to realize that pop-ish for Phish is quite different than the pop market in general. And even if it does crossover, is that so bad? (This argument has been going on since "Hoist" and if you notice they're still not on the radio, MTV, etc.) If a band is great, then people are going to find out! Something as great Phish can't be a secret forever.

"Bug," "Dirt," "Heavy Things," & "Twist" are catchy, but good (the two can co-exist...even Frank Zappa had catchy songs.) "Gotta Jiboo" captures a lot of the old-school Phish silliness (always a plus)...and "Piper," "Sand," & "First Tube" just have the groove! I like the looping effects they use too, its nice to see those outside of the concert stage (I've seen Phish over 20 times since the early 90's for those of you that are wondering.)

Its not the greatest Phish album ever (which is tie amongst the following: "Rift," "Billy Breathes," & "Lawnboy"), but it does have an incredibly varied group of well crafted songs.

I commend Phish for their studio efforts!

Phish is a band that evolves even as you are listening to their recordings. In recent years they have justifiably earned a reputation as a band with two identities-studio Phish and live Phish. While "Farmhouse" is not as daring as "The Story of the Ghost" in its song-writing approach and recording style, it does maintain its continuity as a rock album, a quality that, with the advent of MP3s and CDR compilations, could become a thing of the past. There is a unity to "Farmhouse" that is both invititing and inspiring. The laid back feel of the first half successfully conveys the feeling of a band hanging out and recording an album in a Vermont farmhouse, as Anastasio (in a recent interview) said he hoped it would. It is marred only by the inclusion of Piper, a song that, in my humble opinion, deserves a more creative studio approach than the band has here given it.

The album takes an interesting twist after the gorgeous Inlaw Josie Wales that could be a taste of things to come. The futuristic "cyber-funk" of Sand and First Tube are closer to some of the musical explorations of Phish's recent live performances. If you're listening in your car, imagine, as you listen to First Tube, you're an android being chased by one of the cops in Blade Runner and the picture is complete.

As the band continues to evolve, I think it is important to keep in mind that their decision to not compose fugues and songs with the orchestrated complexity of Junta is admirable. We all know that they are capable of it. What is challenging to Phish now is writing songs with a Zen like simplicty. Songs that have a subtle richness and textured beauty that offer listeners something new with every listen. Listen to the album and then go back and take it apart instrument by instrument and you will find complexity that rivals the fugues of Junta.

If you buy only one Phish album let this one be it. Don't listen to the fact that pretentious Phish fans don't like this album because it is accessible to the layman. Its mood is mellow, but optimistic, perfect for listening to on a down day.

What can I say about this album, if you are old school Phish and don't like change you will hate it. If you are open too the new sounds pouring from this album, you will love it. It is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time! I have heard all these songs live and they sound nothing like the studio versions. I think that is what makes it great. They have established that they are the greatest live band to date, now its time to master the studio. Sure they might be radio friendly, but the radio hates phish, so those who think phish "sold out", don't worry. I'm sure I will see you dancing to these songs this summer.

My favorite songs are by far Dirt which I thought would be a little weak on an album, I was wrong! Get back on the train has the Phatest groove on the album. Sand turned out to be a masterpeice. First tube rocks, wait till you see it live, it will blow your mind. My only disapointment was Piper. This song is just to good live, it doesn't belong on an album. I have loved every phish album to date, and this one will slide into my collection with grace.

Remember, its not about album sales or money, it's about music. There is something special happening here and we are living it. So those who think they "sold out" try looking at the positives besides picking everything apart. The point is, enjoy what you have "MUSIC". Its all natural!

This is yet another turn by the jam band virtuosos into being a constsntly evolving band. These tunes are short, sweet and still kick out a nice groove. You won't find the 30-minute opus here that have prevelent on some earlier albums, but this is just another direction that these dudes want to take....cool with that. You must constantly change or you will die.

For all of you who have been scared off by the jazz-type ramblings of earlier offerings (Don't get me wrong, I like those too) this may be a good entry into the world of Phish. It sounds like something that a 70s folk band might have recorded. All in all, a nice change for the boys.

See you on the road.

I know everyone undoubtedly has their own personal favorite Phish songs but this CD produced three of mine. "Piper", track 8, is one of their best and its first two purely instrumental minutes possess an exquisite counterpoint. You have to listen quite closely to hear exactly what's going on. I've replayed that song about a thousand times and still love it. This brings me to an important point about Phish. One of the reasons why I admire them so is that they're a band whose tunes are the hardest to get sick of. When they create, they really craft. "Heavy Things", number 5, is better known and almost as good as "Piper." The last track, "First Tube", is a resounding musical success. It closes the CD with the brilliance of a meteor shower. In today's day and age, finding an album with such high points is quite rare.

If you want to listen to a Phish CD and see what Phish's all about, than this is the CD to get. This CD has so many amazing songs that you will easily understand why it is one of their best CD's ever and why Phish is such a great band. The CD first starts with the great song Farmhouse and if this doesn't hook you then there's still Heavy Things, one of the only Phish songs I've heard on the radio, and one of there best songs ever. These two songs first got me started on Phish, so you will probably like them too, but there are also other terrific songs like my personal favorites, which are the softer song Dirt and the terrific instrumental First Tube. However, it's not just those four songs that are great, the whole CD is perfect, and I mean every single song. You do not find a perfect CD that often, but this is definitely one! Of course, if you want to hear Phish's live stuff that is fine too and you will find some great live CD's too. However, this has to be one, if not their best, studio album yet recorded, so give Farmhouse a much-deserved chance.

Before I give my review of this album, I must make one thing clear. If you are expecting this album to be a studio version of a Phish show, look elsewhere (Hampton Comes Alive.) This is nothing like a show, and if you come to it expecting to hear the same band you see at shows, you WILL be disappointed. However, if you listen to this album as a STUDIO recording, seperate from Phish live, I am sure that you will enjoy.

First of all, the song selection on this album is a strong as Billy Breathes,... perhaps even a little stronger. "Farmhouse", "Bug" , "Gotta Jiboo", "Get Back on the Train"... are all great, fun songs and well represented here. This album is all Trey, and the amount he has matured as a song writer from his "Dinner and a Movie" days is very evident.

Secondly, this album was produced very well. Unlike "Story of the Ghost" which sounded very flat, this album sparkles. All of the instruments are clear and distinct, the vocals shine, and the songs soar. One thing that I love about Phish studio albums is the ability it gives the band to work on their vocal harmonies,... something that is done wonderfully on this album...(especially on the title track!)

Finally, I would like to say that it is nice to hear these songs in 7:00 increments or less. I know that this sentiment is a sin to most Phish fans, but if I wanted to hear a 20 minute "Sand" or "Piper", I would pop in a tape. The album is not about the massive jams that leave you soaking in sweat, but the songs from which those jams develop. Phish's songwriting is as strong as it ever was (even if the stopped writing the 10:00 epics like YEM, Reba, or Divided Sky.) The new Phish is about writing good, short pop songs and then extending them in concert. The musical mastery is still present ("Inlaw Josie Wails" is a perfect example,) only now it is more focused, more concise.

The only drawback to the album (for me) is the way that it flows. Billy Breathes (their best IMHO) worked because the whole album acted as one piece of music. Farmhouse seems to be more off balance. The two acoustic numbers "Sleep" and "Inlaw", while both being beautiful, are placed directly after one another, sandwhiched between the raging "Piper" and the "should of been on Story of the Ghost", "Sand." The two acoustic numbers slow the album down considerably... they just should have been spaced out.

All in all, a good album. This summer Atlanta will be #30 for me,... hope to see you all there! Happy Phishing!