Round Room

by Phish

Product Description:

Phish: Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell.

Recorded at The Barn in Vermont between October 5-19, 2002.

Following the millennial release of FARMHOUSE, the members of Phish spent their time dabbling in spin-off projects ranging from Trey Anastasio's stint as a solo act and with superstar outfit Oysterhead to Page McConnell's Vida Blue and Jon Fishman's Pork Tornado. Creatively rejuvenated, this quartet of Vermont natives eagerly returned to the studio and emerged with ROUND ROOM, an improvisational triumph. Throughout the nearly 80 minutes that make up this outing, the members of Phish continually lock into one another with an ease that makes it seem as if the hiatus never happened.

As the songs unfold in a manner that's light years away from a traditional pop format, Trey and company flexing their musical muscles on the album's extended numbers that include the piano-driven "Walls of the Cave" and the twisting and turning opening cut "Pebbles and Marbles." Delightful nuances abound, like Anastasio's Afropop-sounding guitar riffs that pepper the bouncy title cut, the pitch-perfect harmonies sprinkled over the Dead-like "All of These Dreams" and the quirky time changes slipped into "Thunderhead." With ROUND ROOM, Phish has once again managed to cook up a complex musical meal that challenges the heart, hips and head.