Like Some Kind of Alien Invasion

Recorded in fits and starts over two years, Like Some Kind of Alien Invasion is the second studio effort by the current version of guitarist/composer Tim Reynolds' TR3, with bassist Mick Vaughn and drummer Dan Martier. These 14 songs cover the gamut musically, though there is a musical thread that ties them together: riff- and vamp-based architectures that open wide the door for collective improvisation no matter the genre they start with -- and there are quite a few here. There are driving, knotty, funky jams including opener "I.C.U.," first single "All Over the Place," and "Dracula." There are also some straight-ahead rockers including the ZZ Top-influenced Texas-fried boogie of "In the Zone," and the power strut of "Missile Coming at You." Prog-inflected syncopation and harmonics in "Grania" and "Running from People" are two of the set's real high points, while more sonically experimental pieces such as "Something in the Air" are interesting. There is even an attempt at full-blown power trip metal on "Revelation," the closer that rates with the finer things here. There are tunes that, while they work as songs, feel crammed into this mix simply for the sake of diversification, including the midtempo ballad "Everything I Believe," and the spaced-out "Mystery," which doesn't feel fully formed. The sound and production here are both excellent. From all signs, Reynolds has finally found a rhythm section capable of fully realizing his enormous panorama of musical ideas. Had Like Some Kind of Alien Invasion been edited just a tad, it would have been flawless. As it stands, it remains a very fine album. ~ Thom Jurek