| Sigma Oasis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 2, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | November 2019 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 66:15 | |||
| Label | JEMP | |||
| Producer | Phish, Vance Powell | |||
| Phish chronology | ||||
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Sigma Oasis is the fifteenth studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on the band's JEMP Records label on April 2, 2020. The album was recorded at their studio The Barn and was produced by the band and Vance Powell. [1] [2]
Sigma Oasis was recorded over the course of one week in November 2019 at The Barn, the band's Vermont recording studio. [2] The album was mixed at Sputnik Sound in Nashville. [2] The album's cover is a photograph of the band members standing on the porch of The Barn, and was taken by photographer Rene Huemer. [1] [2] Most of the album was recorded and tracked live at The Barn, although keyboardist Page McConnell later recorded synthesizer overdubs and guitarist Trey Anastasio recorded backing vocal and percussion overdubs after the sessions but before the final mix process. [3]
All nine songs on the album had been performed by Phish in concert prior to the release of the album. [2] The songs were first performed between 2015 and 2019, with the exception of "Steam", which debuted in 2011. [4] "Mercury" and "Shade" were both recorded for the band's 2016 album Big Boat , but did not make that album's final track listing, [5] with the appearance of the former having been vetoed by producer Bob Ezrin. [6] The title track for Sigma Oasis was debuted by the Trey Anastasio Band in the summer of 2018, and was first performed by Phish in December 2019. [7] Sigma Oasis is the first Phish record since Farmhouse to only feature songwriting contributions from guitarist Trey Anastasio and lyricists Tom Marshall and Scott Herman.
Phish did not plan to release Sigma Oasis in April 2020, but decided to move up the release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic; In a statement, the band wrote "When we recorded the album, we didn't plan to release it this way. But today, because of the environment we're all in, it just feels right. We don't know the next time that we're all going to be able to be together. This is an opportunity to have a moment where the Phish community can share something despite being physically separated." [2]
Sigma Oasis was announced by the band on March 31, 2020 during their "Dinner and a Movie" livestream, a free weekly video broadcast of older Phish concerts the band had been offering during the pandemic. [8] The album was premiered the next day, in a listening party simulcast on the LivePhish website, SiriusXM's Phish Radio station and the band's Facebook page. [9] Sigma Oasis was then released for streaming and purchase at midnight on April 2. [2]
The album received a physical release on vinyl and compact disc on November 27, 2020. [10]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Pitchfork | 6.5/10 [12] |
In Pitchfork , critic Sam Sodomsky praised Sigma Oasis for showcasing the band's improvisational jamming, which is a cornerstone of their live performances but rarely appears on their studio records. [12] Sodomsky called the album "a pleasant surprise, a small joy, an unlikely course correction," compared to its predecessor Big Boat. [12]
On Allmusic, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that Sigma Oasis sounded "Unified and relaxed, the rare Phish studio set that feels as effortless as a Phish concert." [11]
On PopMatters , Greg Schwartz wrote that Sigma Oasis was a "vibrant and uplifting album for the fanbase in their hour of collective spiritual need", referring to the subsequent cancelation of the band's summer 2020 tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sigma Oasis" |
| 5:50 |
| 2. | "Leaves" |
| 7:03 |
| 3. | "Everything's Right" |
| 12:22 |
| 4. | "Mercury" |
| 7:31 |
| 5. | "Shade" |
| 4:25 |
| 6. | "Evening Song" |
| 3:21 |
| 7. | "Steam" |
| 7:53 |
| 8. | "A Life Beyond the Dream" | Anastasio | 6:31 |
| 9. | "Thread" |
| 11:19 |
| Total length: | 66:15 | ||
Additional musicians
Production
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [14] | 116 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [15] | 16 |
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the lead vocalist. The band is known for their musical improvisation and jams during their concert performances and for their devoted fan following.
Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish original songs, 141 of them as a solo credit, in addition to 41 credits attributed to the band as a whole.
Lawn Boy is the second studio album by the American rock band Phish. It was released on September 21, 1990, by Absolute A Go Go Records in the United States, with distribution by Rough Trade Records. The album was reissued on June 30, 1992, by Elektra Records.
Billy Breathes is the sixth studio album by American rock band Phish, released by Elektra Records on October 15, 1996. The album was credited with connecting the band, known for its jam band concerts and devoted cult following, with a more mainstream audience. The first single, "Free", was the band's most successful song on two Billboard rock charts, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart and at #24 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart. The album itself became the band's highest-charting album on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number seven.
Undermind is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Phish, released on June 15, 2004 by Elektra Records. The album was the group's last release before they disbanded in August 2004. It is also their final studio release for Elektra Records ; When the band reunited in 2009, their subsequent albums would be released through their own JEMP Records label which had launched in December 2005 for live releases.
The Story of the Ghost is the seventh studio album by American rock band Phish, released by Elektra Records on October 27, 1998. The album features an emphasis on the jazz-funk influenced "cow-funk" style, which the group had been experimenting with in concert throughout 1997 and 1998. The album's first single was "Birds of a Feather", which was a Top 20 hit on Billboard magazine's Adult Alternative Songs chart. The album's cover was painted by visual artist George Condo.
Farmhouse is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Phish. The album was released on May 16, 2000, by Elektra Records. Farmhouse was the last Phish studio album before their two-year hiatus between October 2000 and December 2002.
Round Room is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Phish released on December 10, 2002, by Elektra Records.
Trey Anastasio Band, or TAB, is an American rock band led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Trey Anastasio of Phish. The band has existed in several permutations since 1998. Versions of the band have had different members, and briefly used the names Eight Foot Fluorescent Tubes and 70 Volt Parade. The current lineup consists of Anastasio, Russ Lawton (drums), Ray Paczkowski (keyboards), Cyro Baptista (percussion), Dezron Douglas (bass), Natalie Cressman, and Jennifer Hartswick. Anastasio and Lawton are the only remaining members from the band's original 1998 formation. Musicians from TAB have accompanied Anastasio on several of his solo studio albums.
The Barn is a recording studio, rehearsal space, and artists studio located on the property of Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio in the Green Mountains near Burlington, Vermont.
Live Phish Vol. 3 is a live album by American rock band Phish, which was recorded live at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien, New York, on September 14, 2000. The show was part of the band's final tour before taking an indefinite extended hiatus three weeks later.
Live Phish Vol. 11 is a live album by American rock band Phish, which was recorded live at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado on November 17, 1997.
Live Phish 04.04.98 is a live album by American rock group Phish, which was recorded live at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island, on April 4, 1998, which serves as the third night of the four-night "Island Tour",
Headphones Jam is an in-studio improvisational jam session by the American rock band Phish, recorded during sessions for the band's 2004 album Undermind.
Fuego is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on June 24, 2014 on the band's own JEMP Records label.
Big Boat is the fourteenth studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on October 7, 2016 on the band's own JEMP Records label. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin and recorded at The Barn, guitarist Trey Anastasio's studio in Burlington, Vermont.
St. Louis '93 is a six-disc live album by the rock band Phish. It includes two complete concerts, recorded on April 14, 1993 and August 16, 1993.
Lonely Trip is the eleventh solo studio album from Trey Anastasio. It was released on July 31, 2020. The album was mixed by Bryce Goggin, and was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ghosts of the Forest is the debut album by the band of the same name, a side project led by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio. The album was released on April 12, 2019 on vinyl and streaming services only.
Evolve is the upcoming sixteenth studio album by Vermont-based jam band Phish. It is set to be released on July 12, 2024, through the band's own JEMP Records. It will be the first Phish album in four years, following Sigma Oasis (2020), although they also released the album Get More Down under the alter-ego "Sci-Fi Soldier" in 2022. Evolve will be produced by Bryce Goggin and Vance Powell. The album's cover art features a painting by Mehdi Ghadyanloo.
