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It’s been a while since Detroit (Michigan) four piece progressive act Tiles (Who consist of vocalist Paul Rarick, guitarist Chris Herin, bassist Jeff Whittle and drummer Pat DeLeon) has been heard from.
Earlier in the year Inside Out Music released special remastered editions of their self titled debut (1994), Fence The Clear (1997) and Presents Of Mind (1999), but apart from the live album Presence In Europe 1999 in 2000 (Recorded while supporting Dream Theater), little else has been heard from the group.
But finally, after a five year wait, Tiles are back with their fourth studio album Window Dressing, and again proves that the band are sadly overlooked within the progressive genre.
Not one to bow to popular style, Tiles aim for the unconventional by opening up the album with the epic seventeen minute title track, and their heaviest number to date.
Split into four movements, the band have opted to turn up the guitars for a far grittier sound than their previous efforts, and while the songs has plenty of structure, there’s plenty of changes/improvisation within the number that reveal more than just the one number mentioned. Having said that, it’s around the three quarter that the song seems to come to a natural conclusion with the acoustic tail end, but the band reprise the start once more, giving a tacked on kind of feel.
‘Remember To Forget’ is a little more straightforward sounding, while ‘All She Knows’ has a distinct Rush sound and vibe of old (It’s not the first time the comparison has come up for this band) but still maintains a sound that is theirs.
Canadian solo guitarist Kim Mitchell helps out on the stunning (And heavy sounding) ‘Capture The Flag’, with ‘Paintings’ continuing the heavy sound, while the gentle acoustic based ‘Tear-Water Tea’ is given a special touch from guest violinist Matthew Parmenter along with a fantastic performance from Rarick.
As with most of Tiles’ releases, there are a few instrumentals that allow the three musicians to show their talents. The first is the melodic ‘Stop Gap’, followed by the solo piano number ‘Unicornicopia’, with the short acoustic ‘A.02’ being the third.
Rarick seems to falter a little in the ballad like ‘Slippers In The Snow’ (Which also boasts legendary cover artwork artist Hugh Syme on keyboards), but things are made up in the Rush sounding closer ‘Spindrift’.
Terry Brown (Who produced, engineered, and mixed the album) has ensured Tiles have produced their best work to date in ‘Window Dressing’, and while it’s unlikely to break the group into prominence (They're close, but still have some way to go yet to match the genre leading acts), it will please those in the know to no end. Related Links:
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