On 'Evolve', Phish Find Solace With Mix of Tempos, Arrangements & Song Formations (ALBUM REVIEW) - Glide Magazine (2024)

• July 9, 2024

• Album Reviews, Reviews

• By Dave Goodwich
• No Comments

Studio albums have always occupied something of a unique niche throughout Phish’s forty-year history. After all, it’s no secret that the Vermont foursome have built their reputation as one of the most influential touring acts in the country around their immersive improv-laden live performances, effectively relegating their studio efforts as musical afterthoughts.

Now, that’s not to say that, generally speaking, Phish albums are definitively bad. Quite the contrary. The group has repeatedly garnered critical and commercial acclaim, with a trio of records breaking into the top 10 on the Billboard 200 charts, in addition to their 2000 release Farmhouse, which hung around the charts for nearly five months. Furthermore, many jam band fans still (accurately) consider 90’s-era albums such as Rift, Hoist, and Billy Breathes to be among the strongest work the studio-averse genre has ever offered up, thanks to the overall cohesion of the tracklists as well as the inclusion of diverse original material from all four members.

Evolve, Phish’s sixteenth full-length studio album, and first since 2020’s Sigma Oasis, continues the group’s dubious tradition of “good but not great” official releases. Despite guitarist Trey Anastasio’s best compositional efforts (the frontman received writing credits on eleven of the album’s twelve tracks), Evolve checks in as a relatively uninspiring affair that, aside from a handful of exceptional moments, ultimately does little to break the long-standing stigma that Phish studio albums are “less than.”

As is often the case with Phish’s albums, much of the material chosen for the final tracklist had already been honed and cultivated at their live performances for several years. Only two of the tracks, a McCartney-esque musical curiosity with rockabilly undertones named “Valdese” and “Human Nature”, a typically quirky Mike Gordon composition, have yet to be performed by Phish in a live setting. While this process certainly lends a welcome element of familiarity to the listener, it also magnifies the wide gulf between how songs are ultimately presented in a live vs studio setting.

“Hey Stranger,” one of two tracks originally recorded for Anastasio’s 2022 solo acoustic album Mercy, mostly plays out as a plodding groove that is ultimately salvaged by an intriguing outro jam. This theme is somewhat common throughout the remainder of the LP. A pair of adventurous offerings, “Oblivion,” the Tom Marshall-penned ode to the depths below with climactic spiked guitar sequences and the bouncy title track, gives way to a fulfilling sequence of material, including “A Wave of Hope” and “Pillow Jets.”

One of several tracks originally recorded on another of Trey’s recent solo endeavors, 2020’s Lonely Trip, “A Wave of Hope” shines as one of the album’s standout moments thanks to its hard edge and driving chorus, as well as some rollicking piano work from Page McConnell. “Pillow Jets,” one of the few previously-unreleased Evolve tracks that have already developed into a formidable jam vehicle at their live shows (check out the fifteen-plus minute version from this past April’s Sphere run in Las Vegas as an example), features some delicate use of a string quartet before delving into another purposeful jam seething with dark undertones.

The delicate “Brian & Robert”-esque two-chord shuffle of “Lonely Trip” leads the album’s trio of mellow tunes, which is highlighted by the dark & moody “Monsters.” With its Neil Young & Crazy Horse “Cortez the Killer” vibes and introspective lyrics, “Monsters” seems poised to quickly cement itself as a welcome breather during particularly hot performances going forward. Another previously unreleased track, “Ether Edge”, which features some interesting acoustic arrangements, rounds out the trifecta.

The album’s sole Anastasio/McConnell composition, “Life Saving Gun”, counts as another standout moment thanks to its pop influences and idiosyncratic lyrics such as “In this pepperbush of colonial ice / The cashier’s fan is / A life saving gun….” Though only performed a handful of times since its 2023 debut, “Life Saving Gun” already has all the trappings of a bona fide showstopper in a live setting, with multiple ten-plus minute renditions of raucous high-energy bliss under its belt. Evolve concluded with “Mercy”, a soothing track that is ultimately blemished by Anastasio’s recent penchant for experimenting with his vocal range.

While Evolve certainly has enough redeeming moments to qualify as a fine entry into Phish’s studio catalog, that’s also seemingly where its ceiling exists. Though several of these tracks will likely continue to flourish as long as the band remains on the road, the album itself ultimately falls short due to some off-kilter pacing and an over-reliance on Anastasio-penned compositions. Thankfully, their live outings remain as innovative and entertaining as ever, so cancel the alarms and put away the pitchforks. All is (still) well in the world of Phish.