With their latest release All the Wars, UK act The Pineapple Thief finally seemed to have fully moved away from their neo-prog origins and morphed into that pop/alternative rock/atmospheric outfit that they've been heading towards on their last few releases. Tightly Unwound and Someone Here is Missing, their most recent efforts, firmly balanced the art rock with the electronica and pop leanings, but most of those prog elements are all but gone here on All the Wars. As far as opening up the band to potential new audiences, All the Wars will go a long way in that department, but for fans who have stayed with the band from the beginning, this release might alientate plenty.
Let's face it, Bruce Soord and company sure know how to craft catchy, lush songs with plenty of stuff going on. The rich synths, crisp guitar work, and layers of melodic vocals that we got so much of on previous releases are still here, but the intensity level has dropped down considerably. Opener "Burning Pieces" has plenty of fire, but as you start to make your way through the album you start to feel like you are listening to one of Marillion's last few releases. "Build a World" is one of the more interesting songs here, complete with soaring synths and beefy riffs, but the repetitive and monotone vocals don't help matters much. Throughout, there is much vocal crooning, atmospheric arrangements (even an orchestra on some of the tracks here), acoustic guitars, and plenty of ingredients that sound, well, nice, but don't prompt much excitement. There lies the biggest problem with All the Wars, it's just flat out boring at times, which is something I'd never thought I would say about a Pineapple Thief album. Some might love all the lushness going on here, and let me just say that this isn't bad by any means, but perhaps All the Wars, after the excitement that the last two releases brought, is just too laid back and seems more of a setback than an album that should catapult them forward. Maybe the Coldplay crowd will love it though...
Track Listing
1. Burning Pieces
2. Warm Seas
3. Last Man Standing
4. All The Wars
5. Build A World
6. Give It Back
7. Someone Pull Me Out
8. One More Step Away
9. Reaching Out
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