If the goal of any band, especially one with only a few discs under their belt, is to improve with each succeeding release, I'd say "Tiles" is a band that's going about its business the right way. Their soon to be released third album, "Presents of Mind," takes the basic sounds first offered on "Tiles" and "Fence the Clear," and brings a more "complete", more "mature" version to fruition.

Part of the change comes with the addition of drummer Pat DeLeon to the mix. Although DeLeon's been with the band for nearly two years, he came aboard after the completion of "Fence the Clear," which featured the subtler stylings of Mark Evans (now in the band House of Usher). DeLeon's contribution is a more aggressive drumming touch which fits in better with the band's hard progressive rock (think late 70s/early 80s Rush as a starting point) style.

The second major difference lies in the way Terry Brown mixed Paul Rarick's voice in with the instruments on "Presents of Mind." Although I personally love his clear, powerful vocals (a friend suggested that he sounds at times like a subdued James Labrie), on previous "Tiles" albums, Rarick's vocals sometimes stood out too strongly from the mix, detracting from what guitarist Chris Herin, bassist Jeff Whittle and Evans were doing. On this album, he's always presented within the context of the other instruments, meshed in beautifully within the sonic landscape.

Other "Tiles" characteristics remain intact. Lyricist Herin once again uses thoughtful, observational lyrics, with each song making a point, and tying, however subtly, into a greater whole. Rather than overloading the lyrical content with brain imagery, the overall message of "Presents of Mind," seems to be that we have a great gift in our human brains,, and we shouldn't waste it. Hugh Syme's (yet another Rush connection!) artwork plays on the "brain as gift" motif with a black and white image of a ribbon-wrapped brain floating over a desert scene.

The theme presents itself right from the first track, "Static," when Rarick sings, "Static is our legacy/Taught from birth what we believe/Our minds create another boundary," targeting those who are too content with the status quo to ever question their circumstances. In "Modification," the lyrics tell of good intentions gone bad, as a controlling force is finally forced to acknowledge, "Coerce and force hasn't worked/Our objectives were wrong/Instead of helping, we hurt." The song is carried along by an instrumental bridge in which Herin and Whittle take turns taking the foreground, before the guitarist ends with a Spanish-sounding flourish.

The good intentions theme is sounded once again in the chorus to "Taking Control," "good intentions don't always work the way they should/some end up harming more than doing any good." One of the best tracks on the disc, it's also the most straight-forward sounding tune, one which with very slight editing I could easily imagine hearing on rock radio stations.

Saving the best for last, the 'official' component of "Presents of Mind" ends with "Reasonable Doubt," a song which is officially about the hopelessness of a small town man accused of murder and caught up in the politics of a high profile case. With the Michigan state legislature contemplating overturning the state's long, proud anti-capital punishment legacy, it could just as well be taken as a strong condemnation of the death penalty, "Just a pawn in this political season/No hope while efforts fail/Fact and fiction on my trail/A scapegoat for authority/can't stop this tale of hypocrisy." Musically, the track has a chilling aura as befits it's heavy lyrical message. The atmosphere is assisted by Matthew Parmenter's (from the band "Discipline") haunting violin solos. Former "Tiles" bassist and producer Kevin Chown ("Artension", "Magnitude 9") also helps out on this track with a guest bass spot.

To top it off, the "Presents of Mind" even includes a pair of bonus tracks, live renditions of previous "Tiles" material captured for a television performance. Add it all together, and you've got a great disc, fully worth further exploration. You can start by visiting their web page and checking out the stunning full color version of Hugh Syme's cover art.