Pineapple Thief, The: 3000 Days

The Pineapple Thief, not to be confused with that other band with the same initials, formed in 1999 as a vehicle for the music of singer/songwriter/guitarist Bruce Soord. After seven studio albums the band released 3000 Days in 2009 on K-Scope Records. The album's title refers to the number of days the band has been in existence. This is a compilation album that includes re-mastered songs from all seven previous releases. Let me tell you right off the bat this is my first exposure to The Pineapple Thief and it will not be my last. Although I have not heard the band's catalogue, I can tell you these are some excellent songs and flow together beautifully which is unusual for a compilation album.

While listening to The Pineapple Thief a few bands came to mind such as Radiohead, Coldplay and Porcupine Tree. Musically speaking, The Pineapple Thief and Radiohead have a common thread in that their music is often innately melancholy with lovely atmospherics. Bruce Soord and Thom Yorke even have similar voices although Soord's voice is more versatile. As far as the Porcupine Tree comparison is concerned, the similarity between the two bands does not end with their initials. Both of the band's front men, Steven Wilson and Bruce Soord, formed their respective bands in a similar manner and both have their hands in everything from guitar playing to songwriting to recording. In other words they do it all.

With roughly two and a half hours of music spread across two CDs and twenty songs there is a lot of music to absorb. "God Bless the Child" kicks off the CD with a wonderful bit of melodic melancholy. Gentle picking of acoustic guitar and dreamy vocals leads to stronger rhythms and a driving bass line with the ending adding some post rock crunch. The energetic "Shoot First" is a great combination of electric and acoustic guitars with a spacey middle section and lead vocals that subtly remind me of Bono, filled with emotion. In "Part Zero" gentle synths and plaintive acoustic guitar slowly build before crashing guitar chords are interspersed as the acoustic melody gently nudges forward. I love how the emotionally charged ending guitar solo perfectly fits the flow of the song. The Mellotron flutes in "Clapham" add to the calm beginning and as the song builds with lush orchestration there is a brooding intensity as the band gets into a full groove. With the excellent "Dead in the Water" taken from the Little Man album, the tension builds culminating in a release of frantic drumming and intense guitar riffs. The first CD culminates with the epic "Remember Us", a piece consisting of four movements held together with a common melodic thread. Listen for the layered acoustic guitars and lush orchestral soundscapes.

Highlights of the second disc include "Wretched Soul" where Soord venomously spews out the words "I've got a wretched soul/it'll turn it's head and throttle you/I've got a wretched soul/it's tearing at the heart of you." Soord's voice is laced with feeling in the heart wrenching "Snowdrops" when he sings "The day breaks your battered heart. The sun rips your world apart. And we will see it fall." Floyd fans need to check out the lushly orchestrated "Too Much To Lose" where waves of spacey synths and long drawn out guitar notes ooze with emotion. Soord indicated its a fitting way to end the album and I could not agree with him more.

The two CD set comes packaged in elegant artwork complete with full lyrics, band photography and Soord's commentary of each song giving the CD that extra personal touch.

The Pineapple Thief are not reinventing the wheel and they occasionally wear their influences on their sleeves but it doesn't really matter to me when the music is this good. I urge anyone who has not listened to the band to do yourselves a favour and add this to your collection. You cannot possibly go wrong.

Track Listing:
CD 1
1. God Bless the Child
2. Shoot First
3. Part Zero
4. 137
5. We Love You
6. Clapham
7. Dead In the Water
8. Kid Chameleon
9. Tightly Wound (acoustic)
10. Remember Us

CD 2
1. The World I Always Dreamed Of
2. Wretched Soul
3. All You Need To Know
4. Vapour Trails
5. How Did We Find Our Way
6. I Will Light Up Your Eyes
7. Subside
8. Private Paradise
9. Snowdrops
10. Too Much To Lose

Added: June 14th 2010
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 2603
Language: english

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