REVIEW: FUEGO
“There’s nothing to say / And nothing to lose.”
It’s been nearly eight months since Phish stepped to the line and unveiled nine of the ten songs that would come to make up Fuego. Lots of words have been written and lots of air expelled in the intervening time debating whether they got nothing but air or nothing but net that night. Finally, the album’s release gives us all an opportunity to release from those modes ourselves, and examine these songs anew. As they richly deserve.
I’m not sure why it took the band this long to get around to it, but I can guess. Whatever your take on the Joy songs in the live setting, it was a milestone album for Phish. It is their resurrection hymnal, their Easter Mass – both a celebration of their new life and an exhalation of relief for having stared down artistic and human mortality as brothers and prevailed (at least for now).
So how do you follow that act? Another concept album? About what collective passage or triumph, exactly? What do you have to say?
What’s your point?
[Oh, and please hurry up! The fans are waiting.]
If Joy bore witness to Phish’s urgent rebirth, Fuego bears witness to their settled maturity. They are now a band with very little if anything to prove. That state of mind has pros and cons. You’ve got permission to fall flat on your face without the fear that you won’t be able to get back up. But it can also diminish your edge, your urgency, your desire to go out there every night and deliver your audience the proper rock rogering they deserve.
Both dynamics are on display here, among many others. With the exception of a few tracks, this is not a party record. There is no “Down with Disease,” or even a “Moma Dance.” A gauze of melancholy drapes over most of the material. Fist pumping opportunities do not abound. On the other hand, Phish is most definitely taking bigger risks than they were in the Joy sessions, and some of them pay off.
The opening title track is one such risk. You have to look back at least as far as “Scents and Subtle Sounds," and “Walls of the Cave” before that, to find a Phish composition as densely proggy and with as much potential for improvisation as “Fuego.” Producer Bob Ezrin – a bona fide wizard and Badass Motherfucker – gets out of the way here, resists the temptation to gild the lily, and lets the song’s Rorschach inkblot essence emerge.
The result is absolutely spectacular. “Fuego” can be deeply appreciated from a number of different angles: its hooks, its movement, or its lyrics, which offer plenty of slack line for delving interpretation, but can just as easily be experienced viscerally, like an abstract painting. Hear it as GAF View-Master flashes of a midlife crisis gone horribly awry. Hear it as the triumph of abandon over madness. Hear it your way, but hear it, because it’s the goods.
What follows “Fuego” is a six song progression that might be described as relentlessly polite. Or purposefully sedate. Phish for waiting rooms. These songs are not bad, in fact they all have their charms. They simply tend to blend into one another.
Phish has a few cool “moment of truth” songs – from “Llama” to “Limb By Limb” – and “The Line” is a swell addition to that quiver. As a college hoops nerd, I fantasize that one day it will replace “One Shining Moment,” and I’m not convinced that wasn’t Phish’s ulterior motive for writing it.
“Devotion to a Dream” benefits quite well from the studio treatment; I just wish I could put my finger on what it reminds me of once and for all. The elegant “Halfway to the Moon” boasts a chord progression that goes down like a complex whiskey, revealing new flavors ever so subtly as it rolls past your tongue and into your throat. Gun to my head, it’s my second favorite track on the album. Superb.
“Winterqueen,” a delicate ballad in the vein of “Anything But Me," marks Fuego’s energetic low ebb, but suddenly we are awakened by new sounds: horns! We’ll hear these horns a few times more, but here they herald the start of the climb upward toward the album’s climax. Densely layered keyboards lend a bit of gravity to the pop confection of “Sing Monica," and “555” serves to remind us that Phish still has a dangerous rhythm section. More horns and a cascade of gospel voices lift this joint right over the top – so convincingly that it’s already hard to imagine the song without them.
“Waiting All Night” is eerie and impossible to ignore, like one of those hyper-produced 10CC breakup songs from the mid-70s. Phish paints something here that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen: a lingering, cool, but intensely psychedelic portrait of distilled sadness. Yes, there are reasons not to love this tune on paper, but it is compelling through headphones.
Though it earns bonus points for its goofball ambition, the first half of “Wombat” suffers from a dearth of musicality. It’s not the first time the band has sounded as if they’re satirizing themselves or taking the piss, but it sounds the way an ill-fitting suit looks. The second half (“post explosion” – those who’ve listened will know what I’m talking about) is viral and greasy but over all too soon. It will be interesting to see what direction this tune goes over the next tour or two.
“Wingsuit” makes a much better ending than it did a beginning, back when it was a “title track.” The song is, after all, a benediction – an exhortation to cast aside fear and live fully. Trey’s concluding solo is nothing short of breathtaking, and a graceful denouement to it all.
Of all the Phish fans I know, precious few regularly listen to the band’s studio output. Fuego may not do much to change that, but maybe that’s beside the point. Maybe the point is illustrated by the album’s cover, which depicts a team of giant old-timey baseball players warming themselves around a thermonuclear fireball.
Or maybe there is no point. And maybe that’s okay.
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 177
So, where were we?
Oh, right—this week's winner will receive an MP3 download courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery jam clip. Each person gets one guess per day, with the second “day” starting after I post the hint. A hint will be posted on Tuesday if necessary, with the answer to follow on Wednesday. Good luck!
Answer: With his second MJM victory, @standard recognized the clip as the 7/3/13 Run Like An Antelope. Given the lengthy break between MJMs 176 and 177, I felt that a clip from this show was a fitting way to bring it back, as Bangor '13 ended Phish's longest stretch between shows that did not involve either a hiatus, a breakup, or an expulsion of a lead guitarist resulting from a cadaver-related prank.
WATERWHEEL/MFF'S SUMMER TOUR AUCTION
Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation and the Mimi Fishman Foundation have joined forces once again for an on-line charity auction, featuring ticket & CD packages for the Phish 2014 Summer tour. Proceeds will benefit the organizations hosted at the WaterWheel table at each venue during the tour. The auction is currently live, with the bidding coming to a close on June 8.
THIS WEEK IN PHISHSTORY: MAY 1992
What is it about late April/early May? Are creative juices flowing due to the changing of the seasons? Whatever it is, I am a fan. Let’s look at history. May 6, 1965, Keith Richards first came up with the lick for “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” one of the biggest hits from the Rolling Stones. The first week or two of May 1977 is widely regarded as one of the biggest musical peaks of the Grateful Dead, and May 8th is a Deadhead Holy Day. The Beatles “Let It Be” was released May 8, 1970. Umphrey’s McGee stretches the boundaries of both improvisation and fan interaction with their UMBowls in late April/early May. Phish has many great gigs in May including, but not limited to, 5/24/88, 5/8/93, 5/27/94, 5/22/00, 5/27/11. And of course one of the most famous and loved Phish shows of all time, 5/7/94 The Bomb Factory. Today I will discuss a week long stretch of shows, from May 1st through May 7th, 1992.
'FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN' TEASE REMOVED!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Fire On the Mountain” Tease Removed from Phish.net Setlist File
The Judge Decreed It, The Clerk He Wrote It
NEW YORK, NY, April 1, 2014 – In a surprise ruling that sent shockwaves throughout the Phish community, phish.net Tease Tsar Scott Marks has removed the “Fire On the Mountain” tease from the 12/31/95 “Drowned.”
“It was always a jamakinto, at best” said Marks, who exercised his omnipotence in all matters tease-related to override the established consensus. “This ‘tease’ was never solid, and if anything, it was a precursor of ‘Meatstick’, but it’s really just improvisational musicians jamming in the moment. Not everything is a ‘tease,’ brah.”
“We’ve collectively come to our senses; our long national nightmare is finally over” said phish.net senior editor Phillip Zerbo. “This ‘tease’ was always just a pet project of Charlie Dirksen, and despite his deafness and terrible pitch, people listened to him. Those days are now in the past, and we can move forward into a Brave New World.”
Dirksen was unavailable for comment at press time, but was heard to be muttering that he would “sue those deaf asshats back to the stone-age.”
“We considered Dirksen’s range of potential responses carefully,” said Marks. “His first response will be a lawsuit, of course. But as the President of The Mockingbird Foundation he would, in essence, be suing himself, a conflict of interest even his brilliant legal mind could not possibly overcome. We’re clear. It’s done. Finally!”
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PHISH.NET OVERSTEP CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
We are very pleased to announce the winners of the Phish.net Mike Gordon Overstep contest! We had several entries arrive via our blog, our forum, and Instagram. The admins narrowed the field down to about 10 worthy of serious conversation and are pleased to share the winners with you:
Grand Prize Winner: @bouncingaroundtheroom
@bouncingaroundtheroom wins two tickets to any show on Mike's Overstep tour. Great job incorporating the album cover into your photo! This was our nearly unanimous vote for contest winner.
Runner Up: @HilmBill
There were several that got us to smile or laugh, but this one was a fantastic visual. @HilmBill wins a signed copy of Overstep.
Runner Up: @gratephul_67
Even though Mike tours under the name "Mike Gordon", @gratephul_67 incorporated "MGB" for "Mike Gordon Band" into snow, something the Northeast has seen plenty of lately. He'll also win a signed copy of Overstep.
Thank you all for participating, we had a lot of fun judging the entries. Stay tuned for more news about Phish and Mike Gordon's solo efforts.
UPDATED: THE PHISH.NET OVERSTEP CONTEST
Phish bassist Mike Gordon's new solo album is entitled "Overstep." But what exactly does "Overstep" mean? Is it pushing, as in overstepping ones bounds? Or crossing those scary sewers by taking an extended stride, refusing to touch your foot to the grates? We think one of you can put your genius to work explaining overstep - by photo. That's right, fire up your smart phone, dig up your trusty DSLR, or load up or your 35mm film (you hipsters) and show us "Overstep" in one photo.
How to Enter
We'll be accepting entries in two ways:
1. Post a comment on this item with a link to your image. If you need a place to upload your photo, we recommend imgur.com.
2. Post your photo to Instagram using the hashtag #PhishNetOverstep.
3. Embed an image in the forum.
The Rules
1. It must be an original work of art.
2. You must post it as a comment on this blog entry or on Instagram. No other entries will be considered.
3. Your picture must be family-friendly. No drugs or boobies, you nincompoops.
4. The funnier and more original, the better!
5. Your photo should be taken for this contest. Don't be lazy. We're looking for something original and inspired!
The Prizes
So what can you win? The Grand Prize winner will receive two tickets to any show on Mike's Spring 2014 tour. You can also have a bite of my pizza sometime, if we're ever hanging out and I have pizza and you're hungry. Also: internet karma and fame in a sub-community for a day!
Two runners up will received a signed copy of Overstep on compact disc. To be clear, it's signed by Mike Gordon. He plays the bass guitar on the album!
The Phish.net site team will review the entries and decide on a grand-prize winners. All entries must be submitted by Wednesday, February 19th. We'll announce the winners shortly thereafter.
Good luck, Oversteppers!
Updated: the contest has been extended! We will now be accepting entries until next Wednesday, the 26th. Also, you can now enter by posting to this thread in the Phish.net forum. Fire away!
MOCKINGBIRD TAKES BITCOINS
The Mockingbird Foundation (all volunteer, all fans, all for music education) is now accepting donations in bitcoins!
Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation