They're free-form but ego free. They've got chops, but they also have a sense of humor. Heres's a band that in concert, is just as liable to play lickety-split instrumental breaks in weird time signatures as it is to cover, unembellished, the entirety of the Who's Quadrophenia. If there's a weak spot in Phish's arsenal, it has always been the songs themselves. Most of the band's early studio albums sound stiff, the tunes a muddle of half-baked ideas that didn't fully come alive until they were roasted under the stage lights.
Story consists of fourteen relatively concise snippets culled from hours of studio workouts.
There are hints of funk and jazz that never quite morph into either. That's no great loss, because the foursome has always sounded a bit clumsy when it has tried to swing. Instead, Phish exploit their subtlety like never before, with airy, uncluttered grooves and relaxed vocals that sound as if they were delivered between catnaps. Consult Dave Matthews or Blues Traveler. Because of this unhurried vibe, some may be tempted to dismiss Ghost as a song cycle for bong huggers.