Phish In Fine Form March 31, 1994 - The Hartford Courant By John M. Moran Album Review - Hoist HOIST Phish By now, we've come to expect crazy virtuosity from Phish, the oddball band from Vermont. But "Hoist," the band's fifth recording, demonstrates that Phish is also finally bringing its musical vision into line with its considerable instrumental talents. Guitarist and lead singer Trey Anastasio, who co-wrote 10 of the 11 cuts on the album, is in particularly fine form. His songwriting skills are sharper than ever, his guitar work shines and his vocals reach new levels of expressiveness. A good example is "Down with Disease," the album's first designated single. Anastasio lays down a raw rock rhythm, then backs it up with a peppy melody and some crisp lead-guitar playing. The music then slides into another tune, this one called "If I Could," featuring Anastasio in a soft duet with guest vocalist Alison Krauss. The general tone of this song remains restrained, but one can easily imagine its building to an explosive crescendo in concert. Yet another noteworthy cut is the opener, "Julius." It starts with a brisk acoustic guitar riff but shifts suddenly to an up-tempo rock number, with rhythm-and-blues overtones provided by Tower of Power on horns. The rest of the album shows off the rock, jazz, bluegrass and other influences that Phish somehow manages to combine. It's amazing, but this wacky blend seems to be getting better and more consistent with each outing. Oh, there are some rough spots. One is "Riker's Mailbox," a brief but noisy jam apparently designed to preserve the band's reputation for musical weirdness. But overall it's another successful effort for Phish, which continues to delight growing legions of fans with its live performances (the next of which is April 16 at the University of Massachusetts' Mullins Center in Amherst).