After a self imposed exile of nearly ten years, Tim Bass - songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and the voice of the San Francisco based group Cola - has finally returned with a new effort under the moniker TameTheFish.

With the release of "Scales" we see the result of years spent in the woodshed or the laboratory or wherever good artists go to make good things.

The new release is diverse, eclectic, and powerful on a number of levels. While some of the songs are linear, raw, and easily accessible, others build atmospheres of sound and environment, inviting you to walk in and experience something that has been going on well before you arrived and will continue long after you leave.

Lyrically, Bass rummages through themes of death, rebirth, longing, greed, self-sacrifice, spirituality and the circuitous nature of love. Not exactly standard pop fare, yet it all seems to flow nicely with the music. The overall effect is infectious and - at times - reminds one of Peter Gabriel and Neil Finn.

Like all good art, the truth is embedded, and the deeper one listens, the more it reveals.

We can only hope that TameTheFish hasn't just given us a glimpse, but will continue to put out music that stands apart - and often times - above its peers.

Purchase of the entire album includes two hidden tracks.