Tiles
Pretending 2 Run

The Tiles have never been sufficiently recognized in the prog scene, perhaps due to a certain derivation from Rush. Yet it's not such a blatant derivation, and we are faced with a great hard-progressive band, mature from the start in sound and arrangements.

This year was also theirs! They hadn't released a studio album in 8 years; that "Fly Paper" perhaps slightly inferior to previous works but still worthy of their name. A grand return with a double CD, almost as if to partially make up for all that hasn't been accomplished in 8 years.

"Pretending 2 Run," the sixth studio work for Tiles, is a work that confirms all the elements that have characterized the band but adds several others or delves into some previously slightly covered; the cast of guests is notable: Mike and Max Portnoy, Kim Mitchell, Mike Stern, Ian Anderson, Adam Holzman, Colin Edwin, Terry Brown... Just reading it, without even listening, we say "yes, it's a great album!"

The typical ingredients of their offering, found here, include a marked hard rock component, a less evident virtuosic component that flows into elaborate passages or long solos, an easy allowance for acoustic moments, often resulting in folk reminiscent of Jethro Tull, powerful and lively melodies, almost never dark, marked by the bright and sunny voice of Paul Rarick, always very articulated bass lines that, however, remain distinctly rock without ever really veering into fusion. But there are several surprises, and I am ready to analyze the work more deeply as always. A track by track, unfortunately or fortunately, seems necessary this time.

The intro already surprises: "Pretending To Run" has an electronic section in its intro, with an almost '80s flavor but modernized, before then unleashing into energetic hard rock. And it's precisely direct and energetic hard rock characterizing "Shelter In Place," the most immediate and essential track of the lot. "Stonewall" is perfectly balanced between hard rock and folk: an energetic chorus very Rush-style and slow, well-marked acoustic parts flavored with banjo, mandolin, oriental influences, oboe parts, orchestral arrangements sometimes cleverly mixed with synthesizers.

After the beautiful instrumental breaks in "Voir Dire," "Drops of Rain" is the most catchy and brilliant track of the lot, with its bright melody and linear and not at all challenging chords; honestly, I can't explain how a song with such a melody can have a title like this...

Then there is the long and articulate "Taken By Surprise," which really takes us by surprise as the title suggests: the intro includes electronic effects and electric piano sounds alongside the edgy bass lines, elements then repeated in the outro, while the hard backbone includes Hammond organ accompaniments.

There's also room for the Gregorian choir of "Refugium." The first disc concludes with "Small Fire Burning," a soft and rather dark track, good yes but not sparkling, not exactly a filler but not a gem either, it simply listens well.

The first disc alone could suffice to speak of a great album, but the second also reserves several gems that offer surprises and cannot be overlooked in making the album great, although there are some fillers and some padding here and there.

Already the first two tracks are a clear example: "Midwinter" is guided by the flute of the evergreen Ian Anderson (always an admirer of the band) while the energetic and dynamic "Weightless" features a saxophone solo. "Friend or Foe" is already less surprising and a bit forgettable, with a deliberately slightly dull melody balanced between acoustic and electric parts; "Battle Weary" is decidedly more successful in its intent to sound dark and subdued, also thanks to the accompaniment of a barely audible trumpet.

There's also room for another Gregorian choir, that of "Meditatio," while "Other Arrangements" is an electronic/computerized interlude more unusual than ever, which seems to be written simultaneously and on a shared table with Dream Theater's Nomacs Instrumentals. "The Disappearing Floor" instead has frenetic instrumental escapes.

The track "Fait Accompli" deserves to be highlighted: it is mainly acoustic and very catchy but perfectly encapsulates several already heard elements, and all seem to respond well to the track's catchiness requirements without being intrusive, leaving the melody its natural lightness; excellent use of the mandolin and the synth+orchestral arrangements combination.

The two reprises of "Pretending to Run" are quite filler and superfluous, in between there are still instrumental flights, those of the semi-instrumental "Uneasy Truce," which also includes a nice violin solo.

The finale is once again worthy of attention: first another particular electronic interlude, "The View From Here," then the slow orchestral folk of "Backsliding," led by mandolin and accompanied by oboe and orchestral arrangements.

We can say that the 8 years of reflection were truly well spent, the Tiles are back with a great record, rich and varied like never before, which can easily compete for the title of best album in their discography as well as one of the brightest releases of 2016. Before compiling your end-of-year charts and reports, if you haven't listened to it yet, do so!