9/22/2003 12:00:00 AM
Chaos View - Centre Daily Times
Centre Daily Times (State College, PA)
September 13, 2002
Page: 6C
"Chaos View"
Musician: Tim Reynolds
Label: TR Music
BY MATT SWAYNE
Release date: Set for release in late September 2002
Details: Get out your safety goggles and put on your lab coats: Tim Reynolds takes experimental to a whole new freaky level with his latest CD, "Chaos View."
Reynolds, who doesn't seem content to be regarded merely as an exceptional guitarist, uses this collection of live songs to explore a myriad of influences -- from techno to Middle Eastern. For the most part, the experiment is a success.
When it works, he creates visionary pieces like "Snake," dripping with exquisite Eastern and Middle Eastern flavors. Reynolds uses electronic effects to counterpoint his own inventive guitar work that swirls around Eastern modalities and accents.
Most of the cuts are instrumental. Reynolds brings in the funk for "Hornets Nest," one of the few non-instrumental songs and, with its bluesy vocals, one of the most approachable tunes on the CD.
On the other hand, Reynolds can be downright scary -- think horror soundtrack scary.
"They're Coming Soon" has dark, heavy metal, ax-murdering riffs drowning in throbbing bass and percussion. Then, there's the opening cut of the album ("Chaos View Drip"). It sounds uncomfortably like some of my own experiments on a Casio synthesizer back in the ninth grade.
Unlike Reynolds, I never coupled it with over-driven intonations of words like "mind control" and "observation"; nor did I put it on an album.
Reynolds owes a lot to his band for the success of "Chaos View." Only an exceptionally tight band could keep up with the wild swings and gyrations of Reynolds' continuous musical probing. They can and do throughout the CD.
Despite these misses, Reynolds gets points just for trying on "Chaos View." To paraphrase: to succeed greatly, one must screw up greatly. And while there are a few screw-ups on the album, these cuts do not diminish what is, overall, a daring and intense musical accomplishment.
Rating: HH1/2 (out of five)
By Matt Swayne, for the Times
Copyright (c) 2002 Centre Daily Times