Phish
Hoist

THE REVIEW

“Hey guys, how's it going today?”

“Oh Trey, all good! (they stop playing) We were trying out some pieces... are you ready to jam with us? (bass and drums start creating a swinging groove)”

“Yes... of course! - (he moves towards the amplifier, turns it on, plugs in the jack, adjusts some volumes... tries a bluesy B7 chord progression). You know, I'm a bit like that today... I don't know... this whole thing about them playing “Down With Disease” on MTV kind of shook me!”

“You're right! I also saw that Beavis And Butthead put our song on their show... weird!”

“Weird! (the B7 arpeggio continues but now it seems like a reggae)”

“Anyway, it doesn't change my life that much... even if...”

“Concert tomorrow...”

“Ah, how nice! You sure know how to lift my spirits right away!”

I like to imagine Phish in this way. Four reserved and elegant individuals who surely love to have fun composing always different music, ranging from blues to jazz to bossa nova to reggae to the most sincere rock, and they love to unleash incredible live performances - and those who have been lucky enough to be there talk about memorable evenings – they manage to blend all these genres into a mix that is always expertly balanced. In short, progressive but with taste and far from intellectual wanking or unnecessary tinkering.

Phish who do not seek that glitter and sequin fame - indeed I'm sure it almost bothers them to have their products consumed in a trivial way - who retain even after years of concerts and albums the same initial anarchic and refined spirit, aimed at reading and rereading every genre with lightness and sometimes almost with merry abandon. Never a false note, never a creation that isn’t harmoniously elegant and refined.

A band boasting incredible cohesion, whose concerts are always packed with people who are hard to categorize, very heterogeneous, just like their music and perhaps because - I think I'm not uttering a memorable blasphemy! - Trey Anastasio and his music convey fun and light-heartedness (quality-wise and in a 360-degree sense). Something that is surely better enjoyed live than on record.

It’s in this perspective I like to imagine that when concocting this “Hoist” back in 1994 they said to themselves “Now let's make a good Rock album!” and bam! – clearly in their own way – they went all out with funky blues riffs (“Down With Disease” and “Wolfman’s Brother”), with country-rock moods (“Julius”), or simply rock (“Axilla Part II” and “Sample In The Jar”) or simply country (“Scent Of A Mule” with Bela Flack on banjo, a special guest), enriching it with delicate moments like the one with Alison Krauss on vocals (“If I Could I Would") and “Dog Faced Boy” and the beautiful “LifeBoy” and the concluding “Demand”, the gem of the album, in which all of Phish’s art is summarized, a real jam of about nine minutes of jazzy prog rock, tense, tight, gutsy ending with a car crash and an angelic choir. Brilliant!

The result is an album that flows beautifully, determined and easy to listen to, which I feel compelled to recommend to anyone who loves good music and wants a nice breath of fresh air. Not essential but definitely a very pleasant album.

The situation at the end of the first listen is of the type 1 (the mirabilis one) “ Darn... it's already over!... wait a bit!!!- (the listener gets up, heads towards the stereo and presses the REPEAT ALL button. The first song starts and with it a sigh of relief along with a smile of satisfaction)

See ya!