Phish's 'Round Room' goes nowhere March 12, 2003 - Daily Californian (U California-Berkeley) By Jia H. Jung Album Review - Round Room When asked about the neo-hippie band Phish, most people shrug apathetically; some may rise up as far as they can in a marijuana-induced state to slur, "What?! Phish is the best, man!" For the members of that Birkenstock-clad cult following, this review will be unshakeable to their positive opinions of "Round Room." Those who never knew what the fuss was all about, however, listen up while I attempt to analyze the group's appeal from an outsider's perspective. Initially, Phish seems like a goldmine of elements largely absent from the 21st century music market. Whimsical lyrics, such as the title track's -- "If I pass out / Take me to the round church / Where echoes resound / And my spirit is found / And when I float high / Take my arm and I'll fly you by / The outskirts of town / To a garden that's round," -- evoke the trip-happy phrases of Beatles tunes. Variegated instrumentation provides the sunny-afternoon effect reminiscent of seventies rock. There is no rushing, no angst, no dissonance -- and no drive. The songs never go anywhere, they just sort of wander with dumb jubilance. Any normal person will grow furious at the droning grooves, which go on and on long after they should have died off. Anyway, everything is too slow in general -- it's like the music itself is stoned. Judging from this album, Phish seems to have done little to improve upon the forces that obviously inspired them. We're all better off listening to Led Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead, etc. For those of you who still want to give the group a chance, "Round Room" ain't the way to do it. Copyright © 2003 Daily Californian