Phish return to form January 30, 2003 - Massachusetts Daily Collegian (UMASS By Matthew Despres Album Review - Round Room Welcome to "Round Room" -- the Phish album with the five o'clock shadow. The much discussed hiatus that found the members of Phish plugging into alternative musical outlets ended, of course, last year. Trey Anastasio wrapped up his orchestral leanings, bassist Mike Gordon premiered the final cut of "Rising Low," the Gov't Mule documentary, and keys player Page McConnell packed away the well received "Vida Blue." The boys were back. But what did they look like? What would they sound like? Phish. Exactly like Phish. And, after a few spins, it's clear that's where they wanted -- and needed -- to be. The pleasures in an album like "Round Room" are its decidedly non-studio qualities. Missed count-offs and behind the eight-ball edits toss a sense of joyful simplicity into the wind -- the band is trying itself back on for size. Maybe some things don't fit as well, maybe some do. In any case, as they jam the cobwebs off, they're having a hell of a lot of fun watching themselves in the process. The 11-minute girth of "Pebbles and Marbles" at the outset is typical Phish fare, a meandering workout that breaks out at the five-minute mark and meets a skittering end; here, McConnell's last few notes speak forlornly, seemingly disappointed the rest of his band decided to stop at all. The show must go on at some point, however, and "Anything But Me" follows as a more proper introduction, tailored into an unexceptionally pretty "Billy Breathes" inspired track that pockets just enough grit to hold its own. The true doorway to "Round Room," though, is its third cut, the Gordon-helmed title track that pushes the album to take its first real step out of the shadow. A bouncy tune with stuttering interplay and a nonchalant whistle that captures the mood of the album better than this review ever could, it's premeditated and off-the-cuff all at once; in short, a good time. Gordon's good nature bleeds out and settles comfortably elsewhere as well. "46 Days" is an energetic jaunt that shows even the trickiest improvisations can stand larger on a little form. Anastasio, for his part, is never caught with his hands on the holster; the man has a lead for all occasions and plenty of supporting flash when words simply won't do. "Walls of the Cave" falls from the same tree; McConnell's soft and sinister notes build mystery, drummer Jon Fishman taps urgency with cyclical percussion and Anastasio wraps the bundle in a set of warm and familiar vocals, a welcome quality on an album whose foremost weakness is the sometimes paper-thin production. "Friday" nearly remedies that shortcoming itself when Gordon steals the song away into the chorus and leads an innocent harmony that echoes what its downtrodden lyrics ponder ("I crashed, I burned, but then I learned to keep my eye on you / You always say you'll lead the way, but then you never do."). Such contemplative moments sprout up all over the album, in bits of pseudo-spirituality and codas of stirring musicianship that combine to promote an appropriately improvisational approach toward life. And when that fails the listener's mood, absurdity abounds. "Mexican Cousin" sports a chorus lead-in that's a scant measure away from the band's "Farmhouse" before turning to a minor progression and reveling in the silliness of it all. ("Oh tequila I turn to you like a lost friend / I want to kiss my Mexican cousin once again.") The most obvious influence "Round Room" operates under, however, is perhaps its most daring characteristic as well. Rather than sweeping freely away, Phish returns with a substantial attempt in capturing its inimitable live aesthetic on disc. Like Gordon sings on "Mock Song," "Because it's just a mock song, call it what you will." Anything, that is, but a comeback. They haven't gone anywhere. Copyright © 2003 Massachusetts Daily Collegian