Pleasure (Soord/ Renkse) (LP 3834 - 3835)

Bruce Soord with Jonas Renkse  Wisdom of Crowds (CD, KScope Records, 2013) ***  

Bruce Soord  Bruce Soord (CD, KScope Records, 2015) ***  

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: HMV, Fopp

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: A Thousand Daggers (Bruce Soord)

Gear costume: Pleasure (Wisdom of Crowds)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: In prog circles both names are well known through their work with The Pineapple Thief and Katatonia respectively (both bands are two of my favourite prog bands - I'll get to The Pineapple Thief when I reach the T's).

Wisdom of Crowds is a collaboration between the two and its combination of electronica and prog has been described as "an album of exquisite melodies and wildly inventive arrangements... this is the sound of two supremely talented artists snatching magic from the ether" (Metal Hammer).

Bruce Soord is his first solo album proper - symbolised by that cover image of him out standing in his field (ha ha). It's a low-key debut as he has decided, quite rightly, not to replicate the sound and approach he has for The Pineapple Thief albums. In summary, it's "less intense and less dramatic than what fans of Pineapple Thief might be accustomed to, but elegant creations with a melancholic, emotional feel to them that should still come across as familiar, especially due to Soord's vocals" (Windhawk).

Where do they all belong? As I say - will get to The Pineapple Thief albums asap (I have a lot of them!)

Release the tether (The Pineapple Thief) (LP 295)

The Pineapple Thief One Three Seven (ipod, 2002) ***

Genre: Prog rock 

Places I remember: HMV Oxford St. - the day before it closed up shop, although I didn't know it at the time! Seven quid - bargain! 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Lay On The Tracks




Gear costume:  Incubate, Doppler, How Did We Find Our Way?

Active compensatory factors: I didn't have any expectations about this - a reissue of an album that is 17 years old, as The Pineapple Thief have, of late, been all about heavier electric guitar wig outs - which I love, of course.

If this album is anything to go by, back in the day 0f 2002 when releasing their second album, they were more of a pop band, with a great acoustic guitar based song as a starter. 

Rest of the songs have hooks aplenty. There is electric guitar but the overall feel is somehow lighter here (unlike Dissolution frinstance).

Bruce Soord is TPT's main man and his vocals are a key element bringing that floaty, lighter element here. 

It's not perfect - some stylistic inconsistency along the way and about 2 to 3 songs too long.

But, all up - even though it appears to be the forgotten runt of the litter, this is very polished pop music with no real hints of difficult second album syndrome.

Where do they all belong? High water mark for me and, already - one of my favourite Pineapple Thief albums.