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Phish: Joy

Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 8 September 2009

PHISH TURNED 25 last November quietly; after all, they'd been defunct for over four years. So consider their reunion LP, the self-released Joy, a belated birthday party. "Happy happy, oh my friend/Blow out candles once again" sings Trey Anastasio on the nostalgic opener, 'Backwards Down the Number Line'. It's the epitome of a Phish song, complete with bouncy country-rock groove, merrily cryptic chorus and immaculately ecstatic guitar solo. And it leads off an unlikely gift: a genuinely great album from a touring phenomenon not known for great albums.

Total word count of piece: 521

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