THE PINEAPPLE THIEF – Versions Of The Truth (2020)
THE PINEAPPLE THIEF are one of the leading lights of Europe’s progressive rock domain, led by mastermind Bruce Soord and reinforced by Gavin Harrison (King Crimson) on drums. With the release of their new opus in a few days, titled ”Versions Of The Truth”, The Pineapple Thief are set to raise the standard yet again, having delivered quite possibly one of the most important – and unique – albums of 2020.
This is Harrison’s second album as a full creative member of The Pineapple Thief alongside Soord, bassist Jon Sykes and keyboard player Steve Kitch. His presence has again helped bring writing and recording into sharp focus – a fresh dynamic added to the band’s previous creative process.
On ”Versions Of The Truth”, The Pineapple Thief emerge as a fully cohesive unit with Harrison, his approach to percussion now naturally aligned with Soord’s songwriting.
The title track, an instant classic for the band, anchors itself on a repeating lyric that connects with the theme of “post-truth” that runs throughout the record: “It’s not how I remember it.” Over five serpentine minutes, “Versions of the Truth” seems like it will arrive at a chorus, but it never quite does. Like a puzzle, the song defines itself through its contrasting sections rather than a standard verse/chorus configuration. A hypnotic marimba figure leads at one point, accented by Harrison’s gentle yet tension-building cymbal work, while late in the piece, heavy riffs clash against a descending and discordant piano line. The juxtaposition of the mercurial song structure and the repeated “not how I remember it” refrain literalizes the notion of conflicting truths.
Here, and on songs like “Break It All” and the contemplative “Driving Like Maniacs”, the lyrics explore the ramifications of divergent truths colliding in people’s lives, with Soord treating “post-truth” as a metaphor for interpersonal dynamics rather than a vehicle for political commentary.
The conceptual focus of the album and the tight interplay between Soord, Harrison, Jon Sykes (bass), and Steve Kitch (keyboards), mark a new creative high for the band, perhaps their best ever.
Although The Pineapple Thief has undeniable “prog” chops, Soord, as a songwriter, prefers concision and focus. Even the most indulgent guitar solo or instrumental break on a Pineapple Thief record will typically amount to a quarter of what the Dream Theater-aping guitarists of the world would allow themselves to do.
This songwriting approach holds on “Versions of the Truth”. With it clocking in at around 45 minutes and an average song length of four and a half minutes, the record offers a lot to those who seek more adventurous rock music without committing themselves to odysseys of time signature changes.
The seven-minute “Our Mire” features some of Harrison’s sharpest drumming. The way the clean, echoey guitar lead on “Out of Line” halts before a section of quiet keyboard plinking is just one case in point for the Pineapple Thief’s skill in establishing dynamic distinctions.
Alongside these unshowy-yet-virtuosic moments sit some of the most accessible tunes of this group’s career, like lead single “Demons” and “Leave Me Be”.
”Versions Of The Truth” is a musical portrait of a band that continue to deepen their sound after decades of making music. And always deliver something different, never boring or repetitive.
Highly Recommended
01 – Versions of the Truth
02 – Break It All
03 – Demons
04 – Driving Like Maniacs
05 – Leave Me Be
06 – Too Many Voices
07 – Our Mire
08 – Out of Line
09 – Stop Making Sense
10 – The Game
Bruce Soord – vocals, guitars
Gavin Harrison (King Crimson) – drums
Jon Sykes – bass
Steve Kitch – keys
Pre Order:
www.amazon.com/Versions-Truth-Pineapple-Thief/dp/B08BDSDQJX
