Trey Anastasio Albums (10)
'Time Turns Elastic'
Release Date 5/12/2009
Tracks 10
Label Rubber Jungle
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What The Critics Say
It's never been easy to pigeonhole Trey Anastasio, but even armed with this knowledge Time Turns Elastic, his symphonic collaboration with Don Hart, still manages to surprise. Anastasio has flirted with orchestral pieces before but this is a full-blown, long-form composition arriving in ten movements, its luxurious strings recalling Gil Evans, and Anastasio's twinkling single-note leads alternately bringing to mind Larry Carlton and Jerry Garcia. Not all of Time Turns Elastic is instrumental: by the time "Landslide" starts four songs in, vocals are brought into the tapestry, but they're used as a way to pull the piece into focus, not to push it in a pop direction. Certainly, Time Turns Elastic wasn't meant to be sampled track by track, it's designed to be consumed in one sitting, to feel the waves of sound ebb and flow, to experience the subtleties in what is Anastasio's most intriguing and successful foray into art-pop to date. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Original Boardwalk Style: Live in Atlantic City'
Release Date 1/1/2008
Tracks 9
Label Rubber Jungle
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What The Critics Say
Trey Anastasio's The Horseshoe Curve is a collection of cuts taken off the shelf as a stopgap between the guitarist's "real" albums -- at release time, Anastasio was in the fourth month of a court-ordered yearlong drug rehab program. It's too bad in a sense, because it's such a dazzling recording, taken from a period between 2002-2004 when he was touring and recording with this woolly mammoth of a band; it's also far above the level of the two recordings he released during that period: Shine (2005) and Bar 17 (2006). A pair of these cuts, "The 5th Round" and the title track, were taken from a live gig in Pittsburgh. The rest of the set was done in a studio, and beginning with the burning bubbler "Sidewalks of San Francisco" that kicks things off (with a smoking little flute break that counters the heavy organ and snare backbeat on the tune, and feels as if it came from a Traffic live date), one wonders for the love of Pete why he shelved it. Anastasio doesn't wail and whomp with his knottier-than-Gordian guitar licks here. He leaves that to a weighted horn section that includes Peter Apfelbaum, Andy Moroz, Dave Grippo, Jen Hartswick, and a rhythm section that includes bassist Tony Markellis, Ray Paczkowski on keys, drummer Russ Lawton, and famed N.Y.C. downtown scene percussionist Cyro Baptista. Musically, the sounds are based on the heavy horn charts of Afro-beat, burning Latin salsa, and J.B.'s-style funk. Add to this the wanton bass throb of Markellis, who could have played with Herbie Hancock's Headhunters or Miles Davis' On the Corner band (he's got both the sophistication and the dead-on inner guidance groove system in place), and what you have is a lethal combination of groove and deadly jazz-funk. Anastasio does cut loose on the live tracks (there's a real Santana "Soul Sacrifice" feel to "The 5th Round"), and lets the world know he's got the chops to lead this band, but the real worth of the material is in how these cats play as a band. Even on rudimentary jams, such as "Burlap Sack & Pumps," the drummers keep the thing churning and turning with complementary contrapuntal breakbeats! There are some killer improv moments in the studio as "Olivia"'s two main sections melt together and become a smoldering jam. It begins with the Afro-funk horns and Anastasio's noisy riff playing call and response with one another. The organ swirls around the fringes and the drum breaks and percussion turn the chart inside out, offering a Latin rhumba rhythm, bringing the rest of the ensemble on board, and transforming the track. It eventually fades and becomes a free jazz workout that gives way into full-bore African jazz -- think Pierre Dørge's New Jungle Orchestra with Dudu Pukwana and Johnny Dyani electrified rather than Fela. The cosmic angular acid-drenched vanguard jazz that introduces "Noodle Rave" feels more like a disciplined Sun Ra chart before the tune is given breath and life and becomes a modal Latin jazz tune. The reggae chart at the top of "Tube Top Pony" is a sure crowd-pleaser with its leisurely stroll and steamy backbeat. The set closes unexpectedly with a knotty jazz tune that walks between modal and noir-ish post-bop. The bottom line is that The Horseshoe Curve becomes -- perhaps unintentionally -- one of the finest moments of Anastasio's post-Phish solo career. This one is absolutely essential not only for his fans, but for anyone interested in any of the above musics. A must. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Trey Anastasio's Bar 17 is a return, while ever looking forward, to the adventurous pop sounds on his self-titled solo album issued in 2002 and Shine from 2005. This is an ambitious, wide-ranging recording, with over 40 session players (granted 14 of them are string players, but so what?) among them, members of Phish, John Medeski, Cyro Baptista, and Briggan Krauss. In addition, this is the kickoff effort from Anastasio's Rubber Jungle Records. Bar 17 was produced by Anastasio and Bryce Goggin and the artist's own Barn studio in Vermont and in New York City. The music on these 13 tracks ranges from balls-out rockers such as the album's first single "Dragonfly," and the aptly titled "Mud City." There are the funky, ambitious but accessibly knotty pieces such as the album's opener, "Host Across the Potomac," and gorgeously textured pop songs, such as "Shadow," and "Let Me Lie." There are shimmering acoustic pieces like "Empty House" and stretched-out rock tunes that allow for real improvisation in the title track and "Goodbye Head." There are also a few unclassifiable, numbers with lush strings, lots of space, and paces that move form slow to slower. The closer is a sprawling jazz-rock piece with horns and pumping pianos that becomes a rock & roll jam. The point is, this is one unfettered date. That said, however, it is utterly focused and there isn't anything extra here despite the fact that the album is over 70-minutes long. Apparently, there is a bunch of stuff left over from the session, as well: those who pre-ordered the set from Anastasio's website get those leftovers on a bonus CD as a thank you. Anastasio's work outside of Phish while they were together, and especially since the group disbanded, is utterly fresh, exciting, and full of surprises. While his records undeniably have a "sound" that belongs to him, they are so wide reaching yet utterly accessible that it may be difficult not to find something in here that's appealing. Another winner. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Shine is an appropriate name for Trey Anastasio's first solo album since Phish's official 2004 disbandment: it's a bright, lively, shiny album, the next logical step from his first solo pop album, 2002's Trey Anastasio. In fact, Shine is considerably more streamlined and straight-ahead than that eponymous affair, which did have its adventurous moments, including the lengthy, 11-minute "Last Tube." In contrast, the longest song here clocks in a little bit over six minutes, and the entire record is tight, focused, clean, and quite hooky. In other words, it's the polar opposite of any Phish studio album; even at their tightest, the band showed a gleeful tendency to drift off course, and never quite could manage to translate their best elements from the stage to the studio. On his own, however, Anastasio manages to sound both sharp and relaxed, never letting his songs stretch out too long in the studio, and layering them just enough to keep the recordings dynamic and interesting. Plus, he has a good set of songs here on Shine -- not only are songs like the circular, irresistible "Tuesday" as ingratiating as the best moments on his self-titled 2002 platter, but this is a consistently strong, varied set of songs. Not just that, but this is one of the sunniest, friendliest, and catchiest sets of mainstream pop/rock released in 2005, which brings up the major problem with the record: although it shares similarities with Phish's work -- he was the main creative force in the band, after all -- its cheerful and concise nature is likely to alienate fans who only liked the band when it played never-ending jams. That's fine: Shine isn't for them. This is for all the listeners who liked Phish's good taste, eclectic nature, and Anastasio's playing (not to mention his good-natured persona in the Bittersweet Motel documentary), but never liked one of their albums. For those listeners, this is perhaps the best album Anastasio has yet made. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With Seis de Mayo, Trey Anastasio returns to the willful musical obscurism that marked his ventures outside of Phish prior to his major-label unveiling as a solo artist, 2002's Trey Anastasio. That record was a delightful surprise since it was both eclectic and polished, featuring the singer/guitarist at his most tuneful and adventurous; arguably, it was better than any Phish album, and it certainly was useful in converting doubters. While 2004's Seis de Mayo isn't as obviously patchwork as One Man's Trash -- whose very title suggests its contents -- it is pieced together from sessions held between 2000 and 2003 and consists largely of reinterpretations of familiar Anastasio instrumental compositions, most now reworked to feature some sort of classical arrangement, ranging from string quartet to a full 66-piece orchestra on the nearly 12-minute closer, "Guyute (Orchestral)." Since Phish have a reputation as an improvistory band, some skeptics might think that their songs aren't so much composed as discovered, but close listening to Anastasio's work reveals that's not the case. Ironically, Trey Anastasio made a stronger case for his work as a composer than Seis de Mayo because it cast a wider net and accomplished more on its own terms. Seis de Mayo is disjointed and diffuse, sounding like an idea sketchbook through its first half before it moves to some very interesting work on the last three tracks, which aren't coincidentally pieces that he wrote with orchestras in mind. They all reveal considerable skill at writing for larger ensembles -- the arrangements are dense and lively, but not overly busy, pushing at dissonance without delving into noise, boasting some muscular themes and countermelodies -- and they're all worthwhile listening. It's not quite enough to make Seis de Mayo successful -- that first half doesn't work particularly well, and while the latter half is interesting, it's not necessarily absorbing -- but it is an admirable experiment that points toward bigger, possibly better, things. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Trey Anastasio officially launched his solo career in the spring of 2002 with a self-titled solo album, supporting it with a tour in the summer that reunited him with Phish, who released an album toward the end of the year, just when Anastasio played another round of solo shows. It was a busy year for the de facto Phish leader, and its aftershocks are captured on Plasma, a double-disc live album that samples from concerts and soundchecks he played with his solo band throughout 2002. Songwise, it's a hodgepodge of new songs, cuts from the solo albums, Phish tunes, and a cover of Bob Marley's "Small Axe," so it's less a faithful reproduction of a concert than it is an aural diary of a year, which is probably a better way to represent his music in 2002, since it was a bit of a crazy quilt patchwork. Better that, though, than the lazy, ramshackle nature of Phish's reunion Round Room, which sounded far more tossed-off than this. The scattershot nature of this reflects the restless nature of Anastasio's muse during this time, how he feels alive and engaged when he's working on a sprawling, all-encompassing platform. Trey Anastasio focused that desire into perfectly realized, crystallized pop songs as sophisticated as Steely Dan. Here, he blows that tight focus and sharp arrangements wide open, stretching out all these tunes to length of Phish improvs but, of course, with a ten-piece band in tow. Instead of being overworked and busy, the arrangements breathe and the music sounds livelier than any recent Phish live record (apart from the archival records, naturally), as well as more adventurous. While it would be inaccurate to say that every second of the 20-plus-minute versions of "Night Speaks to a Woman" and "Inner Tube," along with the 16-minute "Sand," is captivating, they have something equally as important: momentum. These are jams that go places, often very interesting places, and they suggest numerous possibilities for Anastasio to go in the future. Considering that Round Room sounded so haphazard, it's nice to have this record out since it functions as a counterpoint to that meandering record, proving that even if Phish has entered a weird phase, Anastasio is thriving outside of the group. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Playing a more active leadership role than on Phish albums and his own previous solo efforts, Trey Anastasio tips his hand by branding this album with his own name and building it around a new, show-oriented band. There's less left to chance and more control evident in his use of written arrangements. Some of the miniaturist moments, such as the sober intro to "At the Gazebo," reflect an ear for nuance in strings as well as brass parts. Equally impressive, if only in terms of endurance, is "Last Tube," with jazz lion Nicholas Payton blowing lightning licks over a roaring, one-chord clip. Even so, Anastasio keeps things groovy with his amiably nasal vocals and Summer of Love guitar solos; the result is an agreeable balance of loose feel and tight execution on most tracks, quite similar in feel to what Michael Bloomfield achieved with the Electric Flag, especially on "Push on 'Til the Day." While the artifact quality and live vibe of this music come as no surprise, the show band emphasis of Trey Anastasio suggests that this artist may be placing a little less faith in the voodoo of improvisation and more in the payoff guaranteed by musicians who can tear up the same charts night after night. As Joni Mitchell forecast, something is lost but something is gained in the effort. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide
'Trampled By Lambs and Pecked By the Doves'
Release Date 1/1/2000
Tracks 25
Label PD
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What The Critics Say
Alternately warm and rough, Trampled By Lambs and Pecked By the Dove is a collection of multitracked demos and song sketches, recorded by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio with his songwriting partner Tom Marshall in a series of Vermont farmhouses over several weekends in 1997. Rearranged, the tunes would make up the bulk of Phish's next two studio albums (The Story of the Ghost [1998] and Farmhouse [2000]). The music has an undeniable charm to it and an emotional directness rarely conveyed by Phish's more polished versions, especially on "Wading in the Velvet Sea" and "Brian and Robert." ~ Jesse Jarnow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One Man's Trash is a collection of musical scraps recorded by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio in his home studio. Too eclectic, perhaps, even for Phish's songbook, the disc alternates between genre experiments (such as the bouncy surf guitar of the opening "Happy Coffee Song" or the Brian Eno-like "Mr. Completely") and electronic noise explorations. While some of the latter work well as textural pieces, most don't. One notable highlight is At the Barbecue, an atonal horn chart loosely based on a piece by Anastasio's mentor, Vermont composer Ernie Stires. ~ Jesse Jarnow, All Music Guide
