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Trey Anastasio
The Horseshoe Curve
(Rubber Jungle)
The 5th Round / The Horseshoe Curve: Memorable Song #7 for 2007
First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2007, Volume 14, #8
Written by John Metzger
Former Phish front man Trey Anastasio always has had a lot of ideas running
around in his head. Lately, however, he seems to be predisposed to tending to
them one at a time. Oscillating between instrumental excursions and
singer/songwriter fare, his solo canon increasingly has brought a picture into
view that he probably didn’t intend to create. While he may have planted the
seeds that sprouted within Phish’s songs and albums, it now appears as if Mike
Gordon, Page McConnell, and Jon Fishman were the ones who provided the necessary
nurturing and nourishment that allowed them to grow up tall and strong. Although
each of Anastasio’s albums has focused upon a specific flavor, the individual
components from which they have been constructed often have been incomplete and
academic. It’s almost as if he loses interest just as things are beginning to
coalesce.
Fortunately, Anastasio’s latest effort The Horseshoe Curve fares
better than many of his previous solo excursions have, though this has as much
to do with its organization as it does with its content. In fact, it initially
appears as if the set will be plagued by the same lack of inventiveness that
sank Shine and, to a lesser extent, Bar 17. The Horseshoe Curve
begins and ends in a rather conservative fashion. There’s nothing particularly
risky about Sidewalks of San Francisco, which kicks off the eight-track
endeavor with surprisingly little fanfare. Likewise, the concluding Porters
Pyramids slips by without making much of a lasting impression. Wisely,
Anastasio’s horn section — which consists of saxophonists Dave Grippo and Peter
Apfelbaum, trumpeter Jen Hartwick, and trombonist Andy Moroz — rather than his
guitar dominates the proceedings, casting a cool mellowness over the crackling
rhythms of the former and the pensive percussion of the latter selections. In
both cases, however, the songs fail to assert themselves. Instead, they feel
like abbreviated ideas that may (or may not) blossom in a concert setting.
As its cover and its title suggest, The Horseshoe Curve’s intensity
peaks during the four compositions that are tucked into its middle. Although
Burlap Sack & Pumps could be viewed as nothing more than an extension of the
concepts that Anastasio has been exploring for years via Phish’s You Enjoy
Myself, its horn-slathered funk-driven arrangement not only is a riveting
concoction that inspires movement and dance, but it also brings some much needed
focus and passion to the endeavor. Intriguingly, Noodle Rave smashes John
Coltrane’s Africa/Brass into the burbling fusion of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, and the heady jam that results from the collision works better
than one might expect.
Anastasio’s restraint on some of The Horseshoe Curve’s material might
come as a bit of a surprise, but it pays huge dividends on the pair of concert
cuts that lie in between Burlap Sack & Pumps and Noodle Rave. Both
The 5th Round and the title track effectively highlight
Anastasio and his outfit at their improvisational best. The 5th
Round fades in with a blast of big band horns, while the blend of Latin and
R&B rhythms that ensues keeps it moving swiftly along its path. Anastasio allows
the groove to carry him, and as the percolating percussion becomes more manic,
his guitar assumes the steel-on-steel tonality of a freight train with a full
head of steam gliding upon a track that is less than stable. It proves to be the
perfect setup for the title song, during which an actual freight train raced
past the arena, blowing its horn, thus joining the fray and providing the
inspiration for a fanciful, jazz-rock flight. If only the ensemble had been able
to maintain this momentum for the duration of endeavor, The Horseshoe Curve
would rank among Anastasio’s more engaging outings, with or without Phish. As it
stands, however, the unfulfilled potential of its lows cancels the supreme
blissfulness of its highs, leaving another middling effort in its wake. 
The Horseshoe Curve is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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