Customer Reviews

Thanks in Advance

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As good as Bryan's debut release was, I like this one better, and this is one of the best albums I've heard this year. It's completely instrumental, less one song with vocals. Bryan's writing skills are getting better and this disc is loaded with a variety (blues, funk, jazz, rock) of killer tunes. There are several talented guest musicians and different engineers on this disc, so on most songs you get a different line-up, however, the disc has a cohesive sound. Some highlights for me include "Casual Lie Day" that reminds me of Steely Dan due to the guitar work, the brass section, and how the song is arranged. "Love Terror Adrenaline/Break Through" is the longest tune on the disc (10:22) and man is it heavy. A fusion monster - sort of a blend of King Crimson meets Return to Forever - and the guitar work, courtesy of Mike Keneally, is killer. Finally, the title track is a soft but melodic ballad with a beautiful bass solo. Bass solos are rare and when you hear a good one (like this) it's a treat. Overall this is a tremendous album, and if you like instrumental music you can do no wrong if you pick this up.

It's been a good few 5+ years for Bryan since the release of his debut solo album "View": the successful "Guitar Therapy" tour with The Mike Keneally Band for the release "DOG" that was taped and released in both audio and video form with a multi-camera/multi-tracked shoot that gave us the "Guitar Therapy Live" CD and DVD in beautifully performed and mixed 5.1 Surround Sound, being chosen by ex-Frank Zappa virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai for the bass slot in a series of concerts by Holland's "Metropole Orkest" performing reworked & scored orchestral versions of Vai's music that was recorded and released as a 2-CD set entitled "Sound Theories, Vols. 1-2" and a DVD entitled "Visual Sound Theories", touring Europe and North America with Vai's "String Theory" backing band (a unique concept with two equally skilled violinists as opposed to his typical "Wall of Guitars", and in my opinion the most unique concept and interesting set of musicians Vai's ever chosen), touring three times in the "real world" version of the animated band "Dethklok" for Cartoon Network's acclaimed "Metalocalypse" television show, and finally the completion of his sophomore album "Thanks In Advance" and the Special Edition Making-of DVD "To Nothing".

On the making-of DVD Beller explains how he went to great extremes to record and mix "Thanks In Advance" to separate it from its predecessor, only to realize at the end of the process that it sounded very much like "View", and that the improvement only lay at his increased experiences as a Producer and given more time to mix and master than "View". Indeed, "TIA" sounds as it should - the natural follow-up to "View", given the large amount of carry-over of players from the first album and internal "concept" of the album that is the natural extension from "View" and the turns that his life has taken him (which Beller explains on the DVD and I could hardly sum up). So to those of you worried about a radical left-turn, fear not. But certainly be prepared for some new experiences...

What personally draws me to Beller's releases and performances is that they are hardly your typical "Solo Bassist" album, full of generic L.A. Slap-Funk and lead bass. Bryan writes SONGS first, lead and solo bass a distant second. A great addition to "TIA" is the Nashville-based musicians that Beller recruited for the album (as he now lives in the area), giving songs such as "Casual Lie Day" an natural blues feel. However, the Rock/Fusion side that was a part of "View" as well as his longtime work with Mike Keneally is apparent in such songs as "Blind Sideways" and the emotional apex of the album, "Love Terror Adrenaline / Break Through". Other standouts (a hard word to use when its an album full of them) are "Play Hard", a 3:50 pop gem that has far more depth to the lyrics when immersed as a whole in "TIA", the Nine Inch Nails-esque "Cost Of Doing Business", and the multi-tracked acoustic and electric bass-only "Life Story". One bass-related point I *would* like to focus on Beller's inclusion of fretless bass on several tracks. Bryan has said publicly in multiple places than "I barely have a handle on the whole concept of fretless playing". I can vouch firsthand that besides his live work, "TIA" shows than statements such as the above are an utter fallacy. He can play fretless with the intonation and melodic "center" than lifelong "name players" have. Methinks the bassist doth protest too much.

"Thanks In Advance" is certainly not a one-play release: it's dense, and takes a few listens to get into your head full. But once it does, it's not likely to leave. As someone who still have "View" on daily internal repeat 5 years after its release, I'm very confident in making that statement.

This album is a terrific mix of jazz and rock. It is largely an instrumental album -- only one song has vocals -- and there are such a variety of moods here that when you listen to the album front to back you feel like you've been on a winding emotional journey.

The album starts a little slow, easing in with the bluesy "Snooze Bar". It's a very nice song, and although it doesn't immediately scream "album opener", it actually works very well in that position when the album is taken as a whole, as it appears that it is meant to be. After "Snooze Bar", the album runs the gamut of group performance.

-There are progressive studio-driven pieces like the incredibly complex, scorching epic "Love Terror Adrenaline / Break Through" which features several stylistic changes, and truly inspired playing by guitarist Mike Keneally. Now, I have to mention, there is one section in particular in this song that defies explanation. It's a minute or so long bit starting at about the 0:45 mark, and it's later reprised at about the 6 minute mark. It is a series of staccato notes that Keneally races through at a blinding pace. From what I can tell, the drumming and chord progression appears to be in a straight 4/4 time, but the melody line flies by so quickly that it appears to be jumping through several different time signatures. And lest you think that Keneally is just ad-libbing here, the reprise of the section at the 6 minute mark features Bryan playing the same riff on the bass in unison with Keneally's guitar. It is truly a jaw-dropping bit of music, and it's worth the price of admission all by itself.

-There are tight R&B quartet pieces like "Greasy Wheel" (featuring some really tight percussion from Joe Travers). The refrain of this song is highlighted by an absolutely infectious drum lick that makes great non-intrusive use of the cowbell (of all things). The album proper version of this song is a full quartet performance, with keys & guitar in addition to the drums & bass; but it's worth noting that the bonus DVD accompanying the CD features an outstanding live-in-studio "trio version" of the song with just drums, bass and guitar. Travers, Beller, and Rick Musallam really put on a clinic here. It's also worth noting that if you liked "7% Grade" from View, you'll like "Greasy Wheel". It's by no means a carbon copy, but there are definite rhythmic and melodic similarities between the two songs. A great tune

-There are full jazz ensemble pieces like "Casual Lie Day", the frenetic album closer "From Nothing", and the absolutely fantastic "Blind Sideways" (this reviewer's personal favorite, along with Love Terror Adrenaline). While you have to give the 10+ minute "Love Terror Adrenaline" the nod for album cornerstone, "Blind Sideways", clocking in at just over 4 minutes, may well be the most exciting track on the album. Great chord changes in this song.

-And there is even one solo bass piece "Life Story". This is a very beautiful, very short piece that you would never guess without reading the liner notes that it was performed entirely with bass guitars.

The aforementioned only song with vocals, "Play Hard", is sung very masterfully by Jude Crossen, who shows off a very broad vocal range, moving very adeptly from a low register during the verses into a higher, pipe-stretching varied vocal melody during the refrain. It's got a bit of an 80's arena-rock vibe to it, and the lyrics (which I'm choosing to believe are over-the-top tongue-in-cheek) provide a nice giggle or two.

All in all, a terrific album. Best tracks are "Blind Sideways", "Love Terror Adrenaline", "Greasy Wheel", and "Life Story", but there really isn't a miss in the whole lot.

You may already know Bryan Beller from his appearance as Paris Hilton's love interest in a certain video - okay, that WASN'T him, but he has played bass for Z (the old Dweezil/Ahmet Zappa band), Steve Vai, and more recently and notably, variously-titled Mike Keneally bands and he was the real-life version of William Murderface on the recent Dethklok tours.

Of more relevance to this release, though, is that he is an excellent composer and musician. If you're looking for an album's worth of bass-wanking, this isn't it - this release isn't about the bass, it's about the music. To paraphrase Michael Hedges, Beller is a composer who happens to play bass.

As another reviewer stated, this is a dense album - it's not going to sink in with one listen, but it sure is rewarding. This record is proof that there's quality music being made today. This is a musical journey well worth taking.

I first discovered Mr. Bellar from being a Mike Keneally fan and supported his first disc "The View". I really enjoyed it when I had heard "Thanks in advance" was coming My interest was peaked again.
Long story short, I won't go track by track beacuse to me the whole disc works. Mr. Bellar has arrived, he is in the house. He may have supported Mike K and Steve Vai (great company to work with for sure), but "Thanks in advance defines Mr. Bellars writing arrangeing and playing.
He is no sideman, he is the real deal. Roll the dice take chance and
turn up the volume on "Thanks in advance".

If Thanks In Advance was a beverage it would be a fine, well matured single malt whisky - well balanced, smooth and yet it has an edge to it. It warms you up, it is sophisticated and there are little suprises evry time you help yourself to an earful of it. (Don't put whisky into your ears.) Bryan Beller's music embraces and relaxes you, yet your brain gets tickled a lot. Finely hand-made music by masters of their instruments.