Over the weekend, I have listened to the studio albums that Phish released after 1996. This includes the following albums: Billy Breathes, The Story of the Ghost, Farmhouse, Round Room, Undermind and Joy.

This period of Phish begins with my favorite two albums by the band; because of this, I remember being very excited about “Farmhouse” before its release. Phish took a hiatus after the tour for the album, and I felt it was a good idea for them to do so since their edge seemed missing from that record.

When Phish returned from their hiatus, they released “Round Room.” Again, I had great expectations about the release, but the album left me dissatisfied. So, when their “final” album, “Undermind,” hit store shelves, I did not have high hopes. When I finally heard it, I felt Phish had become a band that I really could not relate to anymore.

Last year, they put out a new album called “Joy” after a long split. I didn’t buy the album upon release, and I wasn’t in a hurry to listen to it. This weekend was my first listen.

I decided to review their albums from the ones that I love all the way through their latest release. I’m glad I did. The fresh listen to these albums has revealed some strong writing and playing that I missed before. I still don’t particularly care for “Round Room,” but it does have its moments. I hope they keep going for a long while as I think I am starting to understand what they are doing these days.