New CD catches Phish in old spot December 15, 2002 - Chicago Sun-Times By Jim DeRogatis Album Review - Round Room Where most dedicated Phishheads wax rhapsodic about the live experience versus the studio albums, I have always prefered the relative concision and focus that the group has shown on disc--whether on early, progressive-rock experiments like "Lawn Boy," or more recent attempts to woo radio such as "Farmhouse" and "Billy Breathes." But the eagerly awaited "Round Room" is a huge step in the wrong direction. Marking the Vermont quartet's eagerly awaited return after two years in self-imposed exile, the album seems to fall prey to the exact problems that bandleader Trey Anastasio cited when the group went on hiatus. Then, he claimed that Phish was growing too big, taking too few real musical chances, and that its audience was not being discriminating enough in discerning the jams that worked from the jams that were just pure wankery. That would indicate that he, at least, had much higher hopes for the band. Too bad "Round Room" is just pretty much pure wankery. Songs are stretched out not only past the point where they teeter in on themselves, but literally to the brink of decomposition. "Pebbles and Marbles" is the only track in 78 minutes of music with a decent melody; humble musical ideas are run into the ground; the band members sound as if they were playing in four different states, and rather than capturing spontaneity and inspiration, the live-in-the-studio nature of the project (which was completed in four days) simply sounds unfinished, sloppy, and half-baked. If this is the best that Phish can do upon its return, it might have been wise for the band to extend its vacation.