In Brief

* * * Phish, “Rift,” Elektra. Like the Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler et al., this New England quartet is part of the wellspring of neo-Deadhead bands--this second major-label album even sounds like the Grateful Dead in places. But music-school chops, skewed humor and an imaginative approach make Phish (which plays the Palace on March 17 and the Ventura Theatre on March 21) by far the best of the bunch . . . and this is a surprise-filled, consistently intriguing album that even non-Deadheads might like.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).