It seems that Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio wants us to take him seriously as a composer. His new solo album, “Seis de Mayo,” is a loose, oddball collection of solo acoustic pieces and orchestral renditions of his compositions.
The problem? Anastasio is derivative and boring when held to the standards of classical composers. The album’s centerpiece, the nearly 12-minute-long orchestral piece “Guyute,” comes across as a mishmash of some 19th-century American composers, Mozart and Western theme music from television shows. It crescendos to undeserving dramatic moments the piece does not earn, and ends without having done anything interesting. This cheap melodrama is throughout the album.

Most of the orchestral pieces included on the album sound like rhythmic and melodic templates for discarded Phish songs; this fact only makes the idea of “Trey Anastasio: American Composer” that much more difficult to swallow. Anastasio is capable of writing some groovy pop rock jams, but this talent translates poorly to traditional classical structures.
Even the more standard solo pieces aren’t all that exciting from either a compositional or instrumental standpoint. The songs just wander into the album, then wander back out, much like a drunk stumbling through a room. While it’s nice to hear Anastasio trying new things, he needs to move away from his “spot the influence” style of composition and make something a little more original and a little less vague.
Some other people who could use a little more originality are the members of the Butchies, if their new album, “Make Yr Life,” is any indication. Despite being a rarity in rock music — the band comprises an all-female trio of musicians — the band is pretty much status quo in every other way. Three-chord riffs, simple love lyrics, catchy chorus … and rinse, wash, repeat for the entire album. It’s a tried-and-true formula, to be sure, but the band can’t even find variations to such a simple structure.
To top it off, the lyrics descend to depths of banality where few other bands have dared to tread. When not ranting about the standard set of relationship troubles, lead singer KaiaWilson waxes poetic with lines such as, “Can’t shake off all your water / like tides and howls and the moon.” Pardon me, but could you decode that one for us, please?
Even the love lyrics are completely devoid of any sort of interesting content. “I’m not going anywhere but here / you are everything and everywhere.” Just about makes your heart melt, doesn’t it? While the chorus that contains this line is delivered soulfully, as are all the choruses, the melodies are rarely interesting beyond the first listen. When they do work melodically, they are usually torpedoed by the empty lyrics they are conveying.
It’s difficult to blame the band for simply being a bland imitation of other bands. They don’t make any claims to being anything different. And while the music is boring, it’s never outright despicable. Still, sounding like everyone else is hardly a laudable act, and if the Butchies were any more conformed, they would simply cease to exist.
The Butchies will be performing at WOW Hall tomorrow as part of Lesbopalooza. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. WOW Hall is located at 291 W. 8th Ave.