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Pineapple Thief - Variations On A Dream
Topic Started: Mar 17 2007, 09:18 AM (276 Views)
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PINEAPPLE THIEF - Variations On A Dream

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Hmm. Not sure whether I should like this or not. All my mates at the Heavy Metal Home for Retired Headbangers will doubtless vote me out sharpish should I say anything positive. But I'm going to anyway. Twas probably time for a haircut and a shave, and I'm told laser tattoo removal surgery isn't as painful as it used to be.

Imagine, if you will, a world where Coldplay, Elbow and Starsailor actually had some talent and the ability to write a memorable song. Nah, me neither. But Pineapple Thief are working in an idiom that would be recognisable to fans of what is laughingly called alternative rock by the MTV2s of this world. However, factor in a dose of modern day Anathema and you'd probably be closer to the mark. With a soupcom of latter day Pink Floyd.

Strange then that they find themselves on prog label Cyclops? For this is very song based in the same way that Porcupine Tree have moved into the traditional market. Soothing yet challenging, never losing sight of the 'popular' format, some songs here will live with you for a long time. "This Will Remain Unspoken" is a prime example, awash with acoustic guitars, yet drenched in Floydian synths. Lovely. "The Bitter Pill" takes it even further down, with only a piano for company, but it seems so much more. "Part Zero" gets a tad more irate, but still keeps it melodic. Only when we get to showstopper "Remember Us" do things get seriously progtastic as Pineapple Thief power through a histrionic 16 minute mini concerto. But in a good way.

Some have claimed that it veers too close to the likes of Radiohead for comfort, but that is a cruel and heartless to say. I do favour the rockier numbers ala "Sooner Or Later" and "Run Me Through", which gives Muse a run for their money, and overall this is a truly excellent release.

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