Thanks In Advance

Bryan Beller's online liner notes explain the genesis of Thanks in Advance and how it's the story of a very personal journey told through music (check it out at www.bryanbeller.com). That being said, this is an almost entirely instrumental album that starts out pretty much where his last album left off. Beller writes jazzy guitar rock tunes not too far removed from Steely Dan. Yes, Beller is a bass player, but he writes for guitar, and he's got a bunch of talented, guitar playing friends to draw on to bring the tunes to life. "Snooze Bar" starts things out with a nice, slow groove but quickly progress from there. "The Cost of Doing Business" gets really busy and synthy, then "Blind Sideways" takes a turn toward the jazzy but with a really knotty melody. Then things start to get ugly. "Cave Dweller" is downright nasty thanks to a lurching groove and Griff Peters' guitar. "Play Hard"'s lyrics (the only ones on the album) paint a portrait of someone with a sense of entitlement so odious that one can't help but hope that someone will beat the hell out of the protagonist. Then things change completely. "Love Terror Adrenaline/Break Through" is compositionally so far beyond anything else Beller has released, that you might think a different CD had come on. It's an amazing, complicated piece that really gives Mike Keneally a chance to rise to the occasion.The first part is thoroughly composed and intricate, then it opens of for some guitar improv and Keneally kills it on both counts. The title cut is like coasting home and it's a pretty nice ride with more guitar from Griff Peters and some tasty Hammond organ from Jeff Babko. The set closes in uptempo party mode with some great sax courtesy of Scheila Gonzalez. Thanks in Advance is a solid album, but "Love Terror Adrenaline/Break Through" alone is worth the price of admission.