Latest Phish offering is worth a listen

Latest Phish offering is worth a listen

I admit it. I am a huge Phish fan.

Ever since I first heard them by playing Rock Band with my friend a little over a year ago, I’ve gotten lost in how talented this band is. From learning about their first shows, to seeing them this summer with my friend who first introduced me to Phish, it is safe to say I love this band. With that said, this past Halloween, Phish played their new album Wingsuit that has yet to be released.

Now for all of you who don’t know (which I’m guessing is about 90 percent of you), Phish usually covers full classic albums on Halloween. The most famous shows are probably The Beatles’ The White Album in 1994 or The Talking Heads’ Remain in Light on 1996. There are many other shows, but those are the more well known shows.

But things were different this Halloween. As fans rushed into the venue, they were handed a Phish “playbill” that revealed that Phish would be playing their new album.

Fans were either very excited or very nervous. This was a very risky move by the band, and what was worse is that fans would have to wait a whole first set of music before they could hear it.

After a safe first set, the band came out for the second set. It was time to hear (or play, depending on who you were in the building) Wingsuit.

The first track, which is also the title track, was very chill and it has a moderately slow tempo. In the words if Phish’s fan-run website, “It feels good… then it feels good.” The second track “Fuego” was a fan favorite. It has a certain feel to it to where I can’t explain it, but 20 minute versions of this song are in the future, I can tell.

Next we have “The Line” which has a funny inspiration. It’s about the 2005 University of Memphis vs. Louisville USA tournament when Darius Washington Jr. missed two of three free throws, causing Memphis to lose (I promise that the internet can explain it better than I can). But it has a very funny feel to it. Probably because it has a funny meaning.

But the next song “Monica” I believe will be Phish’s first actual radio single. Now they’ve had some radio airplay, but “Monica” will be the overplayed song that you hate to love. That’s how I feel about it. But then they play “Waiting All Night,” which could easily be about a boy missing a girl that he treated very poorly. The lyrics scream that meaning. But it’s very calm, I love it.

But the next song, “Wombat” was the song of the night. It started with an almost rap from drummer Jon Fishman. The song has such an upbeat groove that you can’t resist dancing to it. During the song, they had someone in a wombat suit come onto the stage and do a dance routine with dancers.  The crowd was eating it up. After the wombat leaves the stage, guitarist Trey Anastasio reveals that the man in the suit was none other than 92 year old Abe Vigoda from the “Fish TV Show” and “The Godfather!” “Wombat” was definitely the fan favorite of that night.

The rest of the songs are good, but nothing amazing. “Snow” I think is the worst of all the songs. It gives me a headache. The songs “Devotion to a Dream,” “555” and “You Never Know” are basic Phish. Nothing too special here. “Winterqueen” is originally a Trey Anastasio band song. And it sounds a lot like one. But it’s very soft. “Amidst the Peals of Laughter” is a duo between Trey and keyboardist Page McConnell. It’s just an acoustic guitar and a keyboard.

Overall, Wingsuit, as of now, is a great album. I can’t wait for it to actually be released and be an official album. But, for now, we have to wait.