Phish - Farmhouse June 27, 2000 - CDNOW By Peter Gaston Album Review - Farmhouse Break out the veggie burritos. Crack open the patchouli. Phish has a new studio album. Oh wait, does anyone really care about the group's studio albums? In the hierarchy of all things Phish, studio albums have to be near the bottom (perhaps alongside deodorant for the band's throngs of grungy phollowers). Seeing the band live is seeing it in its element, where a four-minute song can turn into a zany, improvisational opus, and where tens of thousands of people noodle their way into psychedelic bliss. With bootlegging encouraged (and Napster becoming an everyday household appliance), what purpose do these studio records serve? Like the seven albums that preceded it, Farmhouse (shouldn't it have been called Pharmhouse?) lays down the bare bones of songs that turn into completely different entities on stage. Perhaps the pleasure in listening to Farmhouse comes from trying to decipher how the band would enhance the tracks in concert. A track such as "Twist Around," for example, contains one central, rolling riff that's ready to be built up into a full-on jam. "Bug" ranges from plaintive to powerful and "Gotta Jibboo" has the boogie factor built-in. What "jibboo" means only a true phan might understand. "Sand" also possesses the potential for live enjoyment with its funky Mike Gordon bass line and Jon Fishman's skippy drums. Farmhouse also contains a handful of tracks that exist quite nicely outside the live context. Winsome and melodious, the title track features lead vocalist/guitarist Trey Anastasio blaring away with a pretty guitar solo and sweet vocals accompanied by the band's harmonies. "Dirt" is a sappy, but soothing ballad led by Page McConnell's rollicking piano licks and Anastasio's typically clear guitar, and is bound together with a lovely, harmonized refrain. The instrumental acoustic guitar of "The Inlaw Josie Wales" works well as a languid and soothing jam. Such tracks as these legitimize Phish's need to release studio albums, showing the band's rather fine ability in non-improvisational songcraft. On "Piper" and the album's closer, "First Tube," riffs build upon riffs, providing a taste of Phish as most people know the group best: getting busy off the cuff. Farmhouse doesn't show that vibe in full effect, but it instead allows a much broader look into one of rock's most enduring and eclectic groups. © 2000 CDNOW