PHISH jump around less February 18, 1993 - The Dartmouth by Brian Snyder and Gabriel Schlumberger Album Review - Rift "toto, I don't think we're in Oz anymore..." Pop Phish's "Junta", "Lawnboy" or "Picture of Nectar" into your stereo, and you suddenly find yourself transported to the "merry old land of Oz". A Technicolor storyboard of whimsical lyrics, wonderous energy, and lead guitarist Trey Anastasio's rollicking solos leads you along the kaleidoscopic brick road. The latest album "Rift" draws the house back up into the twister and deposits it once again in the black and white world of Kansas. The much anticipated new arrival in the funk-rock-blues-bluegrass-wacky-neo-hippie world of Phish is a definite departure from their previous works. Earlier albums seemed bouncy, eclectic, and vibrant; the newest incarnation is lackluster and somber but not without polish. The engaging songs on previous albums break into epic jam sessions and explore ever increasing heights of musical mastery by all four band members. "rift" shys away from the improvisational, which constitutes the heart of their prior work and live performances. Technically, "Rift" is very good, exercising masterful composition and dexterous musicianship. Vitality is the lacking ingredient. The songs themselves are another change for Phish. Instead of exploring new ground, the band displays a side more commonplace than on other work. The divergent nature is particularly evident in songs such as "Rift" and "Horn," which retain the distinctive Phish sound but are melancholic and subdued, forgoing the frolic and hilarity associated with previous songs. Lacking the common strengths of Phish, two songs sound truly out of place on this album. The band should have left "Fast Enough for You", a mundane ballad bordering on the easy listening genre, and "my Friend, My Friend," which resembles a Gilbert and Sullivan tune gone awry, off of the album. The most successful new pieces - "Maze," "Sparkle" and It's Ice"- exhibit a glimmer of the animation found in the previous disks. "Maze" demonstrates the best Phish attributes: dramatic changes in tempo, searing jams, and passionate wails of the guitar and bass. "Rift" bears resemblance to the seventies rock operas of the Who and Pink Floyd by virtue of its cohesion as an album. Unfortunately, rather than providing more exploratory and adventerous music, Phish has spun a disk full of psychedelic lullabies; it is at times witty and partially inspired but, for the most part, weary and restrained. Phish recordings are like rides at Disneyland- "Junta","Nectar", and "Lawnboy" being Space Mountain, twisting and turning unexpectedly in an atmosphere set ablaze with brilliance. In contrast, "Rift" is the Teacup ride, spinning around and around in the same spot, not totally prosaic but lacking the thrill of the others. Your prie of admission would be best spent by riding the big roller coasters first and saving the Teacups for later.