VERSIONS OF THE TRUTH

Versions of the Truth brings Pineapple Thief back in a more intimate package, giving us 10 lovely shorter and softer tracks. As a fan of their MAGNOLIA work, I think it was a nice change since the band works really well writing shorter and more catchier pieces. This might not be really a progressive album, though, but in other hand it is full of layers and interesting instrumental passages. The tracks features odd time signatures which is known from Gavin Harrison composition style, nice experimentation with guitar and keyboard sounds, as also with Gavin playing marimba in the title track and STOP MAKING SENSE.

The first four tracks became singles and are really strong ones melodically, and they have always an edge on the progressive side. Exception is Driving Like Maniacs, which unfortunately ends before you know it, but regardless, it's a really beautiful short ballad which exposes the crispy production and mixing of the whole album. Other highlights would be Leave Me Be, which is an instant TPT classic, Our Mire, which clocks at 7 minutes and has a very nice drumming from Gavin, but feels as tight as the other tracks, Out of Line, with great guitar passages and the closer The Game, with a very nice build-up in the end.

One of the greatest releases of this year, even though it divided fans and reviewers with this new direction. I would say this album is a sort of "grower", and the fans won't be disappointed after a few listens.

9/10.

I have been following The Pineapple Thief since their 2012 album, All the Wars ' a stunning combination of alt-rock accessibility and progressive sensibilities (think Porcupine Tree meets Smashing Pumpkins). I bought and liked all their subsequent albums (Magnolia, Your Wilderness, Dissolution), where TPT continued to perfection their classy blend of melodic crossover prog-rock. However, I did not really love any of these albums, mostly because I found that they did not really offer too much lasting listening value: it's music that I like quite a lot when I first hear it, but that after a month is almost inevitably forgotten. Despite this, I continue to buy TPT's records, because sometimes I just want to put on a more straightforward album, which maintains the sophistication of prog without bearing its typical inaccessibility. And if it does not have long-term listening value, so be it: sometimes it is just fun to enjoy the moment. And TPT are great in delivering music achieving just that.

This long premise is to say that with their new album, Versions of the Truth, TPT have subverted my expectations about their music. This record is not as easy to approach as their previous albums. It demands more attention and perseverance because it is not an album easy to like on first listen. I think there are two main reasons for this.

First, the song arrangements have become sparser and terser. It's an album where the rhythm section provides most of the instrumental background (drums mostly, but also marimba and occasional percussions and sound effects), and even then there are lots of pauses and empty spaces in the songs. Of course, a benefit of this approach is that we can focus our attention on the sensational drumming of Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson). But this choice of arrangements also means that musically there isn't an awful lot going on and the album does come across as somewhat colorless.

Second, on Version of the Truth, TPT seem to have consciously decided to refrain as much as possible from resolving the songs using the signature melodic climaxes that have made several of their previous songs instantly likeable and easy to assimilate. On this album, the songs build and build tension without ever quite releasing it. The result is that the music feels deprived of emotions and unrelatable. Perhaps this was an intentional choice to match the bleak and grave lyrical theme of the album, but it is neverhtless a big departure from TPT's usual approach to songwriting.

These changes in sound were a surprise to me, both in a positive and negative way. They surprised me positively because I feel that, by stepping away from their tried-and-true formula, TPT have stumbled on a new, more austere but also more mature sound that could be quite interesting to develop further to see where it leads. However, and here lies the negative surprise, I am not quite sure that this album succeeds in creating something truly captivating with this new sound. Going through the album one has the nagging impression of having embarked on a voyage that is potentially exciting but does not lead yet anywhere.

There are some exceptions, of course. Most notably, the opening and closing tracks are by far the most accomplished songs on the album. The album closer, 'The Game', in particular is hauntingly beautiful, with its downcast mood that reminds me of the gorgeously depressing closer of Porcupine Tree's Stupid Dream album, 'Stop Swimming'. The rest of the album, however, falls a bit flat. In particular, the middle section of the record (after 'Demons', the only track that harks back to the classic TPT sound) contains a series of songs that alternate between angular uptempos that lack strong melodies and mellower ballads that tend to put the listener to sleep. It is quite hard to tell these songs apart from one another. You could switch them around in the tracklist and I would probably not notice, despite having listened to the album a couple of dozen times by now.

Overall, I come away from this album with mixed feelings. I liked to see the band challenging themselves with a new sound, after a string of albums that were all a bit samey. However, I was also not too impressed with what they did with this new sound on this album, as I feel they did not yet manage to use it in a way to deliver something really interesting and compelling. I will nevertheless remain interested in what TPT's next move will be, as I have hopes that they will manage to develop this new sound into something fresh and exciting.

Lovely paranoia and subtle last-minute pain.

"Versions of the Truth" is one of the most anticipated releases of this very interesting year. Still not in the top, but unlike 2018, they remembered the atmosphere and complexity. In fact, to clarify the situation with the new The Pineapple Thief CD "Versions of the Truth", it should be emphasized that the songs are increasingly reminiscent of Bruce Soord's solo work + The Pineapple Thief. Bruce's talents are still growing from year to year, both in terms of playing and in terms of working with sound. The fresh disc sounds juicy and surprisingly rich, which speaks of the band's final exit from the "indie monsters". Each piece is accompanied by powerful visuals worthy of the best Netflix tradition - although in this case it's just a metaphor. The songs are structured to create a halo of darkness, hidden fears, harassment and obsessions. And, as always, "heavy" compositions are complemented by light, melodic ones. Soord's ideas as a conceptualist are also gaining ambitious momentum. The album came out in one piece and the main idea is that the truth is currently absent, there are only versions of it. Each track is a separate version. Despite the venerable age of the group, the melodies still surprise with sudden explosive guitar inserts and abrupt transitions, albeit with an eye on themselves. Nothing is getting younger, but the group realizing this, decided to go from the other side, giving the world a lot of dark, deep and beautiful tracks, virtually eliminating any hint of "progressiveness". Now it looks more like a very smart and atmospheric "pop-rock", in which there is nothing superfluous. Attention should be paid to two tracks from the album.

"Break It All" is a characteristic heavy "locomotive" of the group, gloomy, beautiful, but not rushing at top speed, as before (which is not bad, but for me personally). Interesting guitar distortions, whipping up the atmosphere, catching high and emotional Bruce's vocals and beautiful lyrics ... True, all this was before, that's why it became the hallmark of the group. And the most important pearl is the ballad "Demons", which the musicians released as a single for the album. It tells the story of a person's obsession with the desire to get what does not belong to him. An attentive fan of the group should pay attention to the incredibly beautiful final part of the composition, permeated with a quiet and high-pitched guitar sound, against the background of which the phrase "Cos I've got demons. Yeah you should know. You put them in me. And I will not let them go" is repeated with regret and pain. The idea of obsession as a cause of disasters, crises, wars and violence - expressed in an incredibly sublime and mournful musical moment. An era without truth, where a freed demon can be in each of us. This is our dark and cruel era. All other compositions, as they say, are "at the proper level" and correspond to the spirit of "end of times".

The hard part for me in this whole story is none other than Gavin Harrison. It looks like the seasoned combat veteran Porcupine Tree has finally gotten completely tired and started to sound like your average "second-rate" drummer. Realization of this fact is extremely painful for me.

Throughout the entire album, not a single spectacular, powerful trademark characteristic of the previous records, which were richly decorated with his parts. He became like a tired pale shadow of himself, but, Thank God, his sluggish drums are correctly cut by the strong sound of the rest of the instruments and vocals. In any case, the disc demonstrates the creative death of one of the most (if not the most) first-rate drummers of our time. Though perhaps Bruce Soord's growing creative ambitions did exactly what was needed. Gavin is a prof and may have just been told "Play from here and up here", and he just did as he was told. And the next thing: for the second release in a row it comes out with an

absolutely boring booklet. Lyrics of songs are embossed on thick gray paper in an uninteresting font - that's all. This is a reason for authors to think seriously.

An interesting and a bit sad fact: the group, on the way to becoming superstars, alas, is transformed into an artifact that is interesting only to the MOST devoted fans of the group.

Because, despite the growing experience of musicians, they still use the old formula just like 10 years ago.

Ah, The Pineapple Thief. I'm still trying to work out whether the "most underrated band in the world" moniker, inherited from their slightly more accomplished and much more defunct cousin Porcupine Tree, is meant to celebrate hidden genius or the fact that anybody who might dispute it doesn't seem to have heard of them. Their habitually biennial "new studio album" release is treated with enough fanfare to assure us of their competence, but never enough conviction as to persuade us we've got anything reaching "masterpiece" status. This is a shame, because some of their records come pretty close. This one isn't really one of them, but, in short, it's still very listenable, ahead of their 'mainstream' competitors and worth the cost. So, on the one hand, this is a pop album. Well, kind of alternative rock, but inoffensive enough that the "alternative" label serves more to justify low sales than demark some uncompromising musical iconoclasm. We have "singles" with "videos", each following a lethargically familiar "verse-chorus-repeat-other-bit-chorus" pattern, but don't switch off. We have nothing creeping past the eight-minute mark for only the second time ever (after the similarly solid alt-rock "Magnolia"), no real displays of virtuosity and no real climactic explosions that these guys used to give us. We have a kind of concept, the malleability, contingency, ambiguity and multiplicity of truth in the modern world. Which involves fascinating ideas, but is still the stupid person's idea of a 'clever concept', and the second-rate-lyricist Bruce Soord predictably turns it into an excuse for pseudo-intelligent divorce songs. No, please don't switch off. What we have instead is one of the most consistent bands ever formed pushing their own distinctive sound towards its logical, mature conclusion, with a selection of mostly excellent songs. Musicologists, or so I'm told, in trying to make sense of the good, bad, and (mainly) disappointing of the 2010s in music, have pointed to MINIMALISM as the primary ascendent quality. This is the age of earbuds and introspection (particularly closer to 2020 than 2010), and anthemic 'bangers' no longer really cut it. What you need is an 'anti-chorus', dipping BELOW the verse in intensity, which creates a far more intimate musical experience for the sensitive listener. This means the meticulously insane maximalism of, say, "What Have We Sown?", is out, and with it, the Pineapple Thief's signature slow-build. Or, more to the point, we build to climaxes that never come. The title track is perfect. This band have a history of brilliant album openers, and this is no exception. Glistening, echoey, ethereal chords disperse into an opening line, "You caught me in the black light", that oozes cool until you think too carefully. Then we get Gavin Harrison [insert gushing praise], but, where some were probably expecting him to casually throw in an extraordinary break, instead offers?marimba [Ed. typo? No, wait, marimba?]. After some more (half-decent) wounded post-truth ramblings alongside impeccably considered backing from the band, we begin driving forward with more intent. Soord's poor poetry actually sounds amazing in the "scattered voices" section (although I'm inclined to blame the music). More chorus, and then minimalist marimba outro before it all just stops. Excellent song, excellent video. "Break It All", the second single, has another strong video (although is this really where they're spending the money? Apparently it was sponsored by Gavin's drum manufacturers, so we'll let them off). Similar lyrical themes, too many riffs, chugging darkness in the music, relatively boring verses, anti-choruses, but one of the best instrumentals in the band's oeuvre rips open the song's middle. I'm going to throw in words like "claustrophobia", "Phrygian", "OMG Gavin!", "stormclouds", "polyrhythms" (alright, not *that* impressively), but ultimately only listening to it can do it justice. The lead single comes in third. Many people love this song; it's taken me slightly more effort, but I'm beginning to see the appeal. The verses have a brilliant, incongruously bright but latently poisonous descending melody, and the chorus exemplifies tasteful use of major sevenths as catharsis [alright, that sounded less pretentious in my head]. Yet another strong song. Fourth, "Driving Like Maniacs" exemplifies the minimalist tendencies. Self-consciously balladic, wistful, and above all, mournful, the dark symbolism of "one more corner to go" is a probably inadvertent delight. The tempo is perhaps a tad too slow, and the drum sound frustrating, but beautiful overall. Check out the similar, and superior, "Out of Line" in eighth position, which uses empty space to excellent effect, exuding sophistication and restraint, and a haunting solo. Fifth, the first "new" song, and it's excellent, clean and brooding, similar in vibe to "Demons". Another case of every note carefully and tastefully chosen, but with atmosphere remaining this album's defining strength. Along with disappointing marimba number "Stop Making Sense", the lacklustre "Too Many Voices" represents the weakest point on a strong album. But matters are salvaged by the prog-pretender "Our Mire". Gavin shines, a sense of energy and purpose pervades the track, with enough hooks and metre shifts to satisfy the whole spectrum of tastes. Guitars ring beautifully, and the last minute is just beautiful (reminiscent of Wilson's glory years). Then the closing track, "The Game", is probably the best of the bunch. One reviewer namechecked Porcupine Tree's "Stop Swimming"; to me, this sounds much more like Radiohead's "Videotape", with the insistent minor-key piano, atmospheric, hypnotically repetitive percussion, indistinct builds and rage cooled and fossilised as resignation. A grower, one of The Pineapple Thief's strongest ever tracks, and the best example of their new-found minimalism working perfectly. To describe it as essential would defeat the intentions of such a restrained collection of songs, but accusations of laziness by those who mistake maximalism for sincerity are unfounded, and any lower seems harsh. Not their best, but easily good enough. On any scale, Progarchives' or otherwise, this screams four stars.

Back in 1993 I became aware of a band called Vulgar Unicorn, and after reviewing their demo tapes was pleased when they signed a deal and went on to release CDs. Then guitarist Bruce Soord started a side project called Pineapple Thief (no "The" in the early days) and released 'Abducting The Unicorn' (get it?) in 1999. Back then it was basically Bruce, and I don't think any of us imagined that not only would The Pineapple Thief still be going all these years later but that they would be releasing albums through a major label such as Kscope. It is the same line-up as the last few albums, so joining Bruce (guitar, vocals) is Steve Kitch (keyboards), Jon Sykes (bass) and Gavin Harrison (drums).

I have not heard any of their albums since 2012's 'All The Wars', which has the same line-up apart from Gavin, and I really enjoyed that one so what would this one be like? I think the only way to describe this is that it is pleasant in a non-threatening and non-compelling manner. Everything is, well, nice. Everyone is playing well, but there is little in the way of emotion and in many ways, and when at the end of "Demons" Bruce sings "it was only supposed to be a short- term thing" I wonder if he is really singing about the band itself. When one thinks of the lyrics in that way, then quite a few of the numbers taken on a different light, such as "Driving Like Maniacs". It feels prog lite; this is never going to upset anyone but at the same time it is not going to drive much excitement either. Given my history with the early days of the band I was really excited about the opportunity of hearing this, but I came away relatively unimpressed. As I said, it is nice and gentle, but I need more than that.

After the masterpiece that was Dissolution, Pinneaple Thief returned with Versions of the Truth!

However, the British are not able to replicate the quality of their two previous works, mainly due to the abuse of slow songs that end up offering an irregular and sometimes even boring experience.

In spite of everything, if you like the stage of the band with Gavin Harrison, you will enjoy some songs that remind us of the best moments of Dissolution, with whose discarded songs this Versions of the Truth surely was woven together.

Best Tracks: Versions of the Trugh, Break It All, Demons, Leve Me Be and Our Mire... The rest are dull mid- tempos.

My Rating: ***

British alternative rockers The Pineapple Thief released their thirteenth studio album in September of 2020, some two years after the nearly-perfect 'Dissolution', an album that certainly cemented them as one of the most interesting progressive bands of the 2010s. 'Versions of the Truth' happens to be the third album with iconic drummer Gavin Harrison, now a full-time member the of PT, an addition that certainly elevated their musical presentation, and it should come as no surprise that Bruce Soord and Harrison share the writing credits for this release. But how does this album stand up to the rest of the band's catalogue?

As it happens quite often with bands that are either entirely or borderline in the progressive rock scene, album #13 turns out to be a disappointment (some examples would be Dream Theater, The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, Yes, PFM, and so on). Unfortunately, The Pineapple Thief also fall into this trap, with 'Versions of the Truth' sounding more like a collection of songs that have been left off a Bruce Soord solo session. The entire record is really carried by the first four songs (which also happen to be the singles); Opener 'Versions of the Truth' is an intriguing piece that builds-up slowly just to reveal some masterful melodies, topped by the gorgeous drum sound and the introspective lyrics, 'Break It All' might be the best moment on the album, an excellent example of what this band is best at - haunting songs that are cautiously produced and never overplayed, very minimalistic but memorable. 'Demons' is another highlight, on which Soord delivers effortlessly a crisp and emotive vocal performance; the instrumentation is once again severely beautiful. Then comes 'Driving Like Maniacs', a softer entry than the more alt-rock-driven trio coming before it, is a decent song that reminisces some late 90s Porcupine Tree.

The rest of the album is quite polarizing, with some songs being completely directionless and downright forgettable and boring ('Leave Me Be', 'Out of Line', 'The Game'), to some better offerings that could still hardly stand up to the band's best; Songs like 'Our Mire' and 'Stop Making Sense' feel comfortable but not too impressive, with the length of the former (seven and a half minutes) being hardly justifiable, for example.

Overall, 'Versions of the Truth' is an enjoyable, and even somewhat uplifting, listen for the most part despite the fact this time the band focuses more on slower songs without much build-up and with more introverted soundscapes. The big let-down of this thirteenth offering from the excellent Pineapple Thief, however, is that the album loses focus as it progresses, with some songs beginning to sound dull and monotonous. Comparing it with the band's previous two releases (that also featured Gavin Harrison on drums), it has to be said that 'Versions' is entirely eclipsed by both.

It's rare for me to go into a band's latest studio album having already heard most of it from their most recent live record but that was the case here. I knew six of these songs because of the live "Nothing But The Truth" so the love for this was immediate. Sure hearing this band's new sound on that live one was actually unsettling at first, too commercial sounding at times but man I became addicted to these songs very quickly. I'm pretty much a fanboy here so take that into consideration but this is a strong 4 star album in my world. Soord is a master lyricist and Gavin Harrison helps in that regard here along with being one of the greatest drummers on this earth.

The first two tracks "Versions Of The Truth" and "Break It All" opened and closed disc one of "Nothing But The Truth" and what a way to get the album rolling. "Break It All" is a top three in particular with Harrison impressing around 2 1/2 minutes. Some powerful music here. "Demons" is so uplifting at times as the sound drifts and the next one "Driving Like Maniacs" is a favourite of mine and I'm glad the live recording has them back to back as well.

"Leave Me Be" is pretty intense at times in a TPT manner. Check out the bass and organ after 3 minutes. "Our Mire" has this 80's sound to start before calming right down with vocals. So catchy when it picks up. Love the lyrics too. Uplifting stuff and a top three. Some emotion on "Out Of Line" with those vocals. Love that bass. Restrained with some beautiful guitar after a minute. A top three. I will admit the last two tracks are a little disappointing the album could have ended stronger than this.

Still fighting for this band in 2022 but I am really interested in what is coming next.