Let me begin this article by saying Gavin Harrison is my favourite prog metal drummer. His tasteful grooves, bringing life to pockets, is unlike anyone I have heard. The myriad of textures that The Pineapple Thief bring, a massive part of it is owed to him. You can hear this in Your Wilderness, Dissolution-albums that are sonic waves without an island if Gavin doesn’t provide the spine. He once again remains the buoy in their latest album, It Leads to This.
The nihilistic sorrow Bruce Soord croons with might not be for everyone. The dystopia is accepted, just the path has to be charted. Make no mistake, The Pineapple Thief are an exceptional band. Though Jon Sykes and Keith Harrison have put down powerful parts for 10 Stories Down and What We Have Sown, the evolution of the band needed a new stick man. Harrison update.
Checkout the latest news: Watch: Jung Kook of BTS Sets the Stage Ablaze with Epic Performance and Global Solo Debut
As a prog rock band, The Porcupine Thief has had some extremely memorable performances. Their live sets are as good as the recordings, with very moving improvisations. Though they have been compared to Porcupine Tree a lot (well they share the drummer), there is a ridge in the prog rock/metal world that belongs to this band. Soord’s acoustic parts are especially the ones that enunciate a new kind of storytelling. In It Leads to This, there seems to be a slight saturation of this melancholy. Certain tones don’t seem to fit the songs, and as usual, we’re looking at Harrison’s songwriting parts to drive away the boredom. I love this band, but this is an open can of soda 4 hours late. Sweet, but you know there was some fizz.
Magic of the realms
Versions of the Truth was a great record because of how some verses were strung together. It was a very interesting album, especially given the circumstances in the world then. It was focused commentary, yet lived in the avant-garde soundscape that the band likes to travel into. Well written solos, beautiful, expressive lyrics. Drum parts that I can hiss in my sleep. It Leads to This doesn’t specify, sadly, what it leads to.
You may also like listening to: Cholly’s “IDMY”: A Dark and Alluring Electronic Pop Experience That Demands Your Attention
Comparing albums is a fool’s game. This is a new theme, it has to be studied within itself. Extremely long instrumental threads are chopped up for artistic kintsugi by Harrison. Your focus might be on the synth and occasional guitar melodies that also make an appearance. The band stripping back layers might not be the best premise under this circumstance. You can’t expect the band to be carried on two shoulders alone.
There are some rock revelations in more interesting songs like Rubicon. A slight spike in the heartbeat, builds that actually focus on some tone. Odd time signatures will keep the track alive, but not much more. Like a great indie rock number, the title track brings a lot of character and style back from Your Wilderness years. Like it was observed, there are a few good songs, a smattering of them in a plain white art gallery.
The groove can’t carry you far
Having a base knowledge of the guitar, an easy riff to play is the one on The Frost. Easy doesn’t mean bad, it is catchy for sure. Just seems a little too close to “inspired” for it to be an original from this band. A song like All That’s Left had some great promise. The guitar tone and filter on the chorus lick was something that quite frankly pissed me off. It was like a banshee shriek, it didn’t quite belong to this track. From here, the woes just built.
Though this tiny epic Now It’s Yours was innovative initially, I found myself getting bored with the lyrics. I understand the melancholy that this band banks on, I really do. Theorizing and sharing the pain through a certain scale alone, makes you weary. I couldn’t listen to the album in one sitting. This has never happened with a Pineapple Thief album. Well, says more about me than them, I guess.
The band and its future journeys
Once you reach To Forget, there are parts you want to. Within the tapestry of this album, it seems like the thread count was a little more sparse, making for a good finish to the album. However, one touch, and you know that it isn’t The Pineapple Thief you are used to. This might be their transition album, but it asks a lot of questions in their experience together. You’re asked some questions about yourself as well. Did we change, or did the band skip stones to a whole other lake? Both are fine, I’d just be better knowing.
You can listen to this album, it’s fine. It just doesn’t have that wow glitter that we’re used to hearing from the bands’ synergy. It’s been 4 years from Versions of the Truth, and they might have new truths now. So could we.
Check out our playlists here!
Check out our YouTube channel for music reviews, playlists, podcasts, and more!
Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
