File Under: Well-stocked pond May 15, 2000 - Wall of Sound by Roberta Penn Album Review - Farmhouse After swimming around in the sea of the six-CD set Hampton Comes Alive, Phishheads can finally come up for a breath of fresh air. The band's latest effort, Farmhouse, appropriately recorded in guitarist Trey Anastasio's converted-barn studio, finds Phish focused and rootsy. The all-original set immediately calls to mind American Beauty, the Grateful Dead's most accessible and consistent album. But that doesn't mean Phish has sold out — rather, Farmhouse is more contained, yet still friendly, letting fans know right from the opening title cut that the party is a down-home affair. The first single (yes, Phish is swimming upstream and trying for radio airplay), the gentle and folksy "Heavy Things," is about trying to be who you are instead of what people think you should be. The same holds true of "Bug," which delves into the difficult act of finding one's place in the natural order of things. For those who prefer the stretched-out jam feel of Phish's live shows there is "Piper," which starts off dreamy before turning into a nightmare of keening guitars and unleashed rhythms. "Sand" is less gritty but more mesmerizing, with its buried vocals and funky keyboards, while Bela Fleck, playing banjo, and dobroist Jerry Douglas join the group for the sweet and twangy instrumental "The Inlaw Josie Wales." The closing instrumental, "First Tube," is a must for Phish followers, kicking off like a spaghetti western soundtrack before riding off hypnotically into a psychedelic sunset. There are few bands that attract both rock and jazz fans as Phish does — but that doesn't make them revolutionary. The group's sound is still straight out of Frisco, circa 1969, riding on a nostalgia craze that just won't end. Still, Farmhouse makes it clear that Phish continues to widen the river it swims in.