PHISH — Farmhouse (review)

PHISH — Farmhouse album cover Album · 2000 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
aglasshouse
Farmhouse, as many people enjoy in assuming, is the proclaimed "beginning of the end" for Phish. It was the massive turn of the century, and this album landed smack dab on the turning year of 2000. The problem was, Phish was becoming less and less recognized as years went by. So this meant that their country-infused melodic Farmhouse wasn't all good as Phish tried to make it. In a sentence, Phish was running out of steam from their 1990 heyday, and their attempt at a justly excellent release for the new century went slightly spoiled.

In an artful sense, Phish's Farmhouse is indeed unique. It features a lot of interesting compositions, as well as some new dabblings that the band hadn't tried prior. Most of their earlier content, however, had large amounts of progressiveness that was very clearly shown and people could recognize it easily. This album lacks on that front, for although the new tone the band was trying to develop to still be relevant, it isn't in most cases a progressive-rock release. Soft rock combined with lounge-jazz isn't really the best concoction for the progressive man, and this album is full of it.

The band was also trying to delve into the area of meaningful lyrics that actually had a story behind them. Usually, I would highly enjoy something like that, but in this case it seems odd and disjointed mostly because Phish is doing it. Two choice songs that follow this path are the title track, a melodic track that centers around a cliche love-story, and 'Bug', which is obviously the world from the point of an insect that as the Phish website states: "is blissfully simple". And I do give them credit, it sounds like they're having phun (I am so sorry) with their coherently simple song. The other songs are not bad but are very lacking in the area of memorability.

This album is quite something, but that does not make it an essential to a proggian by any means. It holds on loosely to anyone expecting something wonderful, or even something like Phish's past releases. So, if you are interested in Phish, pick up this. I recommend it to that audience.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Meet The Graingers Pop/Art Song/Folk
NATE NAJAR
Buy this album from MMA partners
Full Throttle RnB
GERALD ALBRIGHT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ancestral Numbers I 21st Century Modern
JASON ROBINSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Modern Standards Fusion
BILL EVANS (SAX)
Buy this album from MMA partners
Echoes of Time Eclectic Fusion
CHRISTOPHE MARGUET
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Jean-Pierre (feat. Darryl Jones)
BILL EVANS (SAX)
snobb· 4 hours ago
Magic Box
CHRISTOPHE MARGUET
snobb· 4 hours ago
The Peacocks
ANTOINE DRYE
js· 10 hours ago
??·??·?·???·?·????
SADAO WATANABE
snobb· 1 day ago
"Miles Between" // by Shawn Schlogel & Nancy Erickson Lamont
NANCY ERICKSON LAMONT
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed