The Pineapple Thief: ‘It Leads to This’ Review
The AI generated album artwork for It Leads To This
You can always be assured of quality when a release bears Bruce Soord’s name in its credits but sometimes it can be lacking that special ingredient that elevates it to the level of excellence. However, this is not the case here as It Leads to This is Soord and co.’s best effort since 2016’s seminal work Your Wilderness. It sees the band return reinvigorated after their longest gap between new material since their first two albums over twenty years ago. They’ve certainly kept busy in the meantime, releasing a variety of re-recordings, live sessions and solo albums but the extra time afforded to producing brand-new songs has paid dividends.
As always, the quality of the production is stellar, with the band’s in-house mixing and mastering approach leading to the album having a warm and organic feeling to its sound with each instrument being clear in the mix. This will no doubt be taken to another level on the various surround sound and hi-res audio formats available in the album’s deluxe edition, which I recommend taking advantage of if you have the required equipment.
The Pineapple Thief have rarely embraced the cliches of classic prog, instead forging their own identity by seeking ways to bring progressive elements into the framework of contemporary rock. This means that they maintain accessibility without oversimplifying the songs or following a formula. Consequently, there is no extended epic on the album, which could be seen as a call for alarm on a prog release but after an initial listen it becomes clear that a lengthy number would be surplus to requirements for the course of this album’s journey.
The near-six minute Now It’s Yours has enough twists and turns to compensate for those hungry for a musically denser track whilst many of the other songs also inject complexities into their shorter run times. This acts as a counterpoint to the relative simplicity and minimalism of previous album Versions of the Truth, perhaps as a subconscious course correction after that release failed to generate quite as much buzz as its predecessors.
When it comes to the individual performances each member’s contribution is excellent but it’s hard to overstate how important the drums have become to the band’s sound. For many, Gavin Harrison’s arrival in The Pineapple Thief is what lead them to discover the band and Bruce Soord has gone on record to say that the band would likely have ended had Harrison not stepped in to stabilise a developing drummer problem.
Those seeking a flashy virtuoso performance from Harrison will likely be disappointed but his idiosyncratic playing style is unmistakable and it shines through to give the songs a distinctive feel that I’ve yet to hear anyone else recreate. Keys player Steve Kitch also deserves special commendation for his ability to find space amongst the denser and harsher moments to provide complimentary synth textures. He also plays beautiful piano parts in the quieter passages that help to highlight the emotional vulnerability that Soord expresses in these moments.
Another of the band’s strong points is their ability to take you on an emotional journey through the course of an album without there necessarily being an explicit narrative to follow. It Leads to This is no exception as Soord’s lyrics transport the listener to bleak landscapes and conjure images of the angst and turmoil of navigating modern life.
However, these themes are slightly at odds with the band’s decision to use AI artwork for this release. Turning to technology that derives its output from pre-existing images to produce uncanny results feels like a strange contrast to the band’s typically organic sound and the very human emotions they express. We are in an era where album artwork is often dismissed as being generic and disposable, so it is disheartening to see an act with a history of striking artwork has taken the easy way out.
If there are any other criticisms worth levelling at the album it’s that a little more variety and adventurousness could have elevated this release to being a real career highpoint. Nevertheless, this album is a strong release that sees the band on top form and it leaves me feeling excited once more for the future of the band. Considering the prolific nature of its members, it likely won’t be too long until the next The Pineapple Thief-related release is announced but for now their fans’ appetites should be comfortably sated.
