Undermind
There has rarely been a more appropriate album title. The arrival ofUndermindwas eclipsed by the departure of Phish. Twenty-one years after first coming together in 1983, the four members of the enormously popular Vermont jam-band announced their (final, we're assured) split two weeks before the disc's release because lead singerTrey Anastasioworried, "We don't want to become caricatures of ourselves or, worse yet, a nostalgia act." Based on this, the band's goodbye note, he was just being paranoid. Produced by Tchad Blake (Los Lobos,Elvis Costello), the follow-up to 2002'sRound Roomhardly sounds like the breezy old band that many measured up to theGrateful Dead, instead traversing into the dark classic rock territory ofPink FloydandJimi Hendrixin heavy, contemplative tracks like "A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing" and "Scents and Subtle Sounds." Perhaps what really caught Anastasio off guard was the appearance of his own pop instincts.--Aidin Vaziri