Phish - Billy Breathes October 24, 1996 - The Curiouser By Alexander P. Slotkin Album Review - Billy Breathes In describing Billy Breathes, the new album from Phish, it is instructive to consider one of the lines printed in the CD booklet itself: "The Phish stuff is pretty slow for now." Yes indeed, on this, its seventh album, Phish has retreated from its characteristically hyperactive jams and dada-for-the-common-man mentality, and released a set of simple pop songs. Naturally the first conclusion Phish devotees will jump to is that their favorite band in the world has finally gone and sold out. However, the truth of it is a bit more encouraging. In essence, Phish has defied the expectations of everybody -- the record company, the critics and the fans -- and in the process expanded its musical palette. If nothing else, Billy Breathes proves once and for all that members of Phish are mature songwriters. Rather than their usual collage-like arrangements, we now have before us artful, tightly arranged songs, comparable in sound to Abbey Road-era Beatles. Whereas the group's earlier material amazed listeners with 15 minute slabs of instrumental virtuosity, the appeal of this album rests more on its stripped-down production values and melodic beauty. The best example of this new philosophy would have to be the album's title track, which sports ethereal vocal harmonies and a pastoral instrumental backdrop as lush as anything the Moody Blues ever did. The results are gorgeous, and the closing solo from guitarist Trey Anastasio has to be counted as the most deeply moving moment in Phish's history. What's more, this song is part of a series of linked songs, forming a loose concept album-within-an-album that, again, hearkens back to Abbey Road. But in truth, the murky psychedelic folk of songs like "Swept Away" and "Steep" more closely resembles early Pink Floyd (think Atom Heart Mother or Meddle). It also bears a striking resemblance to Phish's earliest music, particular the never officially released White Album, recorded a decade ago in a college dorm room. It seems a bit strange to be able to connect the new album to the music Phish wrote so long ago, and in truth this is where the album's major flaws begin to creep in. For all of the newfound songwriting talent displayed on Billy Breathes, the compositional and instrumental abilities that the band has spent years developing are nowhere to be found. Whereas earlier masterpieces like "It's Ice" and "Split Open and Melt" showcased their Frank Zappa-like ability to build complicated jazz and modern classical structures over an absurdist rock foundation, nothing on the new album presents any such challenge to the ear. Similarly, Phish seems to have deliberately avoided the marathon Funkadelic-meets-King Crimson jams that make its live playing so unique and exciting. One other problem that bears mentioning is that of the lyrics. In the past, Phish stuck to harmless, tongue-in-cheek nonsense that was sometimes hilarious, sometimes annoying, but that never got in the way of the music. Unfortunately, Anastasio and company have opted for a more serious bent on Billy Breathes, the results of which occasionally border on lameness. Take, for example, this "deep" moment from "Waste": "Don't want to be a farmer, working in the sun / Don't want to be an outlaw, always on the run." What's more, Anastasio's vocals seem to falter uncomfortably during the album's more intimate moments, and are better suited to upbeat songs like "Character Zero" and "Theme from the Bottom." The truth is, Phish already did the semi-serious concept album thing before on arguably its finest studio album, Rift, and the results were far more successful. Granted, it may have featured bloated production, schizophrenic pacing, stylistic disunity and heaps of self-indulgence, but hey, that's what these guys do best, and they know how to make it work. In the end, Billy Breathes comes off as being too simple and effortless, but at least it shows another side to the band, and, thankfully, is far more interesting than their last studio effort, Hoist. Article © 1996 The Curiouser