It Leads To This

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Pineapple Thief's Bruce Soord never stops trying to make sense of the world around him. With a title that implies answers have been found, Pineapple Thief's latest album expands upon the band's particular brand of hooky, precisely played prog rock. A master builder of loud-soft dynamics, Soord's alchemy can gel into creations like the beautifully crafted, "The Frost" where brawny, stomping guitar breaks alternate with quiet stretches in which he pleads in a calm tone, "So hold me down/ Just hold me down/ Before I do my worst." After another wave of guitar roar, he concludes, "You're falling with me/ We're together in this hopeless hold/ Together only we can know." It's just one of many moments, all played with a perfectionist's ear for detail, and a commitment to clean, dramatic recording, that make this another success in the ongoing journey of a band that began in 1999. While comparisons to Radiohead and Porcupine Tree have always been appropriate, Soord's mission has been sharpened since 2016 by the addition of drummer Gavin Harrison who was a part of both Porcupine Tree and one of the 21st century reincarnations of Robert Fripp's King Crimson. Harrison is both dramatic and fierce in all the right ways. In "Rubicon" he plays a number of different tempos and rhythms all leading to the song's characteristic turn to driving melodic choruses. The mix here features Harrison's often intricate drumming in a prominent spot near the front at all times, often an equal with Soord's voice. Keyboardist Steve Kitch and bassist Jon Sykes, both long time contributors to Soord's vision, are nimble, assertive instrumental voices. What's most impressive are the endless atmospherics leavened with melodic bursts that the prolific Soord continues to churn out. Mostly free from specifics, his lyrics find him looking both forward and back—fearing for his children's future in "To Forget" while several lines later remaining deeply susceptible to the power of the past: "Remembering's not easy yeah I know/ It's buried deep inside you yeah I know/ And to forget is impossible." Satisfying the neverending demands of the prog rock audience for constant innovation, Pineapple Thief continues to perfect its confident mix of muscle and fragility. © Robert Baird/Qobuz