It Leads to This by The Pineapple Thief, released in 2024
The Pineapple Thief is a British band founded in 1999 by Bruce Soord, originally as a solo project that evolved with Jon Sykes (bass), Steve Kitch (keyboards), and, since 2017, drummer Gavin Harrison who joined the band on drums. This marked a significant evolution that led to a more collaborative songwriting process. Their sound is characterized by great emotional intensity and introspection, through complex compositions.
The current lineup for this album is:
- Bruce Soord, vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Jon Sykes, bass
- Steve Kitch, keyboards
- Gavin Harrison, drums.
This album boasts outstanding quality, great guitar and keyboards, and a truly exceptional Gavin Harrison, a genius as we know him, perhaps the greatest around since the passing of Rush's Neal Peart.
An album made of catchy songs, precise and clean keyboards, bass, and guitars, a clear and luminous voice, and drums that raise the overall level.
- "Put It Right," the opening track, starts with a soft opening and builds with powerful electric guitar chords.
- "Rubicon" is the album's heaviest track, aggressive with very imposing guitar riffs.
- "It Leads to This," a beautiful song characterized by a great balance between soft, introspective sections and heavy sections with a great rhythm section.
- "The Frost" has beautiful, evocative atmospheres, with an immense Gavin Harrison.
- "All That's Left" is a song characterized by great guitar work and a beautiful midsection by Gavin Harrison, an exceptional piece.
- "Now It's Yours" and "Every Trace of Us," one of the TOP tracks, with impressive jazz riffs and an exhilarating instrumental section.
"Every Trace of Us" is a song characterized by a very catchy chorus and very complex and aggressive drumming.
"To Forget" closes the album, a semi-acoustic track with a serene and captivating atmosphere. A beautiful finish.
A second album was released that same year, the EP Last to Run which is a sort of sequel to this album. It doesn't really invent anything new; the band does what they do perfectly, in my opinion, trying to appeal to a wider audience than the "prog" niche, and they do it very well, without straying from the tastes of fans of the genre.
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page.
Tracklist
1. Put It Right (5:30)
2. Rubicon (4:37)
3. It Leads to This (4:43)
4. The Frost (5:40)
5. All That's Left (4:26)
6. Now It's Yours (5:59)
7. Every Trace of Us (4:30)
8. To Forget (5:20)
Duration 40:45
LineUp
- Bruce Soord - guitars, vocals
- Jon Sykes - bass, backing vocals
- Steve Kitch - keyboards
- Gavin Harrison - drums and percussion
Featuring:
- Beren Matthews - guitar, backing vocals
- Antoine Fafard - guitar (on "Y Aqui Estamos," featuring reworkings of recordings from the album sessions)
