Phish's Gordon uninspired on 'Moss'

Mike Gordon, “Moss["] (Rounder)

Phish bass player Mike Gordon has distinguished himself by releasing a stream of offbeat, but always interesting, solo releases.

Unfortunately, “Moss["] isn't one of them.

It's not that the 10-track disc isn't pleasant enough. The songs are generally well-crafted and easy on the ear. It's just that for Gordon, it comes off as a throwaway effort and, perish the thought, a little boring.

That's never been Gordon's path in the past, whether in his own solo work that relied heavily on instrument experimentation (“Inside In["]), rocking songs (“The Green Sparrow["]) or inspired musical pairings with guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke (“Clone["] and “Sixty Six Steps["]).

Gordon said he wanted the tracks on “Moss["] to be more accessible. Well, they are. But part of the attraction to Gordon's work has always been that he went out on a limb to produce something more esoteric and therefore more interesting, not more accessible and more forgettable.

Check this out: The final song, “Idea,["] is a highlight not just for the infectious chorus but mainly for the best Gordon-esque line of the entire record: “I serenade you with a thought balloon.["]