Those spiraling, psychedelic sound journeys have to start somewhere. All Things Considered asked the members of Phish to explain their process — and their answer is more systematic than you'd expect.
"You could stop on a street corner and hear Malcolm X," the vibraphonist says of 1960s New York, where he made his controversial debut as a bandleader. His new Blue Note album is Enjoy The View.
The 22-year-old British singer Sam Smith broke through as the high-note voice snaking through an international club anthem. Now, he's written and recorded a debut album about love and loss.
In 2009 Peter Silberman turned a breakup into a breakthrough — the critically acclaimed concept album Hospice. His band's latest release, Familiars, is a journey inward.