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░ ██ ██ Artist: The Pineapple Thief ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Your Wilderness █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-01-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Kscope ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Musically, the band's 11th studio album represents █
█ a marked change in direction and takes TPT away █
█ from Magnolia's more 'pop' orientated production. █
█ On Your Wilderness, the band has allowed itself █
█ -plus a dream team of contributors - to perform █
█ without any inhibitions. Bruce Soord has drawn █
█ inspiration from his Progressive roots in order to █
█ provide a springboard for the ongoing creative █
█ growth of The Pineapple Thief. █
█ For the first time, THE PINEAPPLE THIEF has █
█ brought in several special guest performers. █
█ Alongside Gavin Harrison (who has gifted some █
█ typically brilliant drum parts that have taken TPT █
█ into fresh territory), and a four-piece choir, █
█ Geoffrey Richardson (CARAVAN) arranged and █
█ recorded string sections, Darran Charles █
█ (GODSTICKS) contributed additional electric guitar █
█ work, and Supertramp's John Helliwell performs █
█ some beautiful clarinet parts that bring the album █
█ to a poignant close. █
█ Featuring conceptually sympathetic Carl Glover █
█ artwork, lyrically Your Wilderness follows the █
█ journey of a parent and child and chronicles love, █
█ fear, estrangement and, ultimately, reconciliation █
█ as their lives unfold. █
█ Your Wilderness was recorded, mixed and engineered █
█ @ Soord Studios in Somerset and was produced by █
█ THE PINEAPPLE THIEF (with the exception of the █
█ drums, which Gavin Harrison produced & █
█ engineered). █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Though perhaps not as well known as the other prog █
█ band that has the initials "PT," The Pineapple █
█ Thief has been a notable player in the prog scene █
█ since they formed in 1999. As is standard for most █
█ prog bands, they've evolved rather drastically █
█ over the years, but have always had a leaning █
█ towards more art rock and indie tendencies and █
█ bear a striking similarity to Radiohead. That █
█ said, the band has always maintained a close █
█ connection to the metal world. The brains behind █
█ The Pineapple Thief, Bruce Soord, filled in for █
█ Katatonia on their acoustic tour in 2014, █
█ collaborated with Katatonia frontman Jonas Renkse █
█ on Wisdom of Crowds, and has done 5.1 surround █
█ sound mixes for several metal bands, including █
█ Kataonia, Tesseract and Opeth. █
█ The band's latest outing, Your Wilderness, is a █
█ much softer affair than some of The Pineapple █
█ Thief's previous albums, which means it is also a █
█ nice return to form for them. While All the Wars █
█ had a crunchier, alternative edge to it, its 2014 █
█ follow-up, Magnolia, was a bit more toned down and █
█ showcased Soord and the gang's softer, more █
█ illustrious side. Your Wilderness continues down █
█ this path, containing eight tracks that build █
█ slowly upon themselves and ultimately, make for a █
█ very dense and satisfying listen. █
█ "In Exile" begins with a minimalistic drum groove █
█ before Soord's angelic croon cuts through, along █
█ with a synth, bass lick and soft guitar lick. It's █
█ a sentimental tune, and one that is deceptively █
█ catchy. The track that follows, "No Man's Land," █
█ carries the listener to its crescendo by way of █
█ Soord's voice and a haunting acoustic guitar █
█ melody before the full band kicks into a funky █
█ little jam session. "Tear You Up" is perhaps the █
█ heaviest (relatively speaking, anyways) and most █
█ straightforward of the eight tracks, propelled by █
█ a slick riff that's borderline Muse worship. █
█ Electronics, subtle orchestration and even a █
█ clarinet weasel their way into certain parts of █
█ Your Wilderness, fulfilling The Pineapple Thief's █
█ desire for experimentation and refusal to be █
█ easily classifiable. █
█ Each of the songs found on Your Wilderness utilize █
█ the band's penchant for lush instrumentation to █
█ full effect, often creating a mood and atmosphere █
█ that builds into a goosebump-raising climax. Each █
█ individual musician of The Pineapple Thief plays a █
█ crucial role in this compositional brilliance, but █
█ special props have to go to Gavin Harrison of █
█ Porcupine Tree, who produced, recorded and █
█ performed the drums on Your Wilderness. The man is █
█ a true virtuoso and master of his instrument, and █
█ whether he's laying low in the pocket or showing █
█ off his chops, he plays for the song first and █
█ foremost, and adds a completely new dimension to █
█ The Pineapple Thief. Let's hope for more █
█ collaboration in the future. █
█ The band strikes a great balance between softer █
█ moments ("That Shore") and more upbeat, brit-pop █
█ tunes ("Take Your Shot"). Furthermore, they write █
█ melodies that are among the most haunting and █
█ memorable of the year. By prog standards, Your █
█ Wilderness feels like a relatively short album, █
█ clocking in at just over 40 minutes, but its █
█ brevity makes it feel like a much more focused █
█ effort than their past few albums, and ultimately █
█ works to its benefit. This is not an album to █
█ listen to if one is looking for overtly technical █
█ passages or shocking musicality; The Pineapple █
█ Thief pride themselves on their compositional █
█ mastery and subtlety, and it is these nuances that █
█ make for a very melancholic and relaxing album in █
█ Your Wilderness. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. In Exile 5:10 ░
░ 2. No Man's Land 4:17 ░
░ 3. Tear You Up 4:51 ░
░ 4. That Shore 4:52 ░
░ 5. Take Your Shot 4:33 ░
░ 6. Fend for Yourself 3:43 ░
░ 7. The Final Thing on My Mind 9:53 ░
░ 8. Where We Stood 3:45 ░
░ 41:04 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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