Phish 'Joy' - A Joy To Listen To

By the time Phish released 'Joy', they had already debuted all of the songs on their summer tour. Most of them were well received, and the songs were in the mix every night. I personally rank this in my top 3 Phish albums, along with 'Billy Breathes' & 'Story Of the Ghost'. The music is refreshing and you really get a sense that Phish is healthy and having fun.

"Backward Down The Number Line" opens the album, and they could not have picked a better song to kick off Phish 3.0. This song just rocks, and is classic Trey Anastasio/Tom Marshall collaboration. The jam out of this song got better with each performance, culminating with a mind bending version at Toyota Park.

Other songs that really stand out are "Kill Devil Falls", which reminds me of "Chalkdust Torture", but with a little more edge. "Joy", is probably my favorite track on the album. I might get a little flack for this, but for some reason this song just clicks with me. The song was written by Trey about his sister who passed away recently . The music is beautiful and if you really listen to the lyrics you really get a sense of how much the song means to Trey.

With 'Joy', Phish have given their fans an amazing collection of new music. The band has come a long way since Coventry, and has a renewed focus and direction. I have listened to this album over and over, and each time it just get's better. Phish should be very proud of their new album, as it is certain a joy to listen to.