Prolific British prog rock band who incorporate the sounds of Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, and Muse into a sprawling, experimental experience.
Led by founder and frontman Bruce Soord, have become one of the most restless rock outfits of the 21st century and, while spending years as a cult attraction, nonetheless possess a large following in Europe, Asia, and the United States. While the band’s music is often likened to Radiohead’s and Porcupine Tree’s, the generalization falls far short in describing a constantly evolving sound that deftly balances sophisticated indie pop, theatrical rock, 21st century prog, textured electro-acoustic ambiences, and neo-psychedelia. While earlier recordings such as Variations on a Dream may have justified some critics’ capacity for comparison to Porcupine Tree and other genre-bleeding acts, later recordings, such as 2008’s Tightly Unwound — their KScope debut — showcased increasingly expansive pop songwriting that featured canny arrangements and advanced instrumental acumen. By the time they issued Magnolia in 2014, Soord and company had developed a flair for releasing conceptual album-length storytelling through well-crafted, hooky, instantly memorable episodic songs. Their sound took on a more rhythmic sensibility when King Crimson drummer Gavin Harrison joined the fold as a full-time member for Your Wilderness the following year. The band’s fan base expanded to include fans across the globe whose tastes ran closer to indie rock than prog.
Soord had been writing songs since the age of 11 as a way of making sense of the world. Born in Germany before moving to England, he began his professional career with longtime musical partner Neil Randall in the band Vulgar Unicorn. This collaboration produced three studio albums before he embarked on the Pineapple Thief endeavor, its name chosen after a scene from the 1997 independent film Eve’s Bayou. As Soord’s musical ambition and abilities grew, so did Pineapple Thief’s membership. Its increasing and sometimes shifting personnel were chosen to fit various recording and touring projects. Dozens of albums later, the Pineapple Thief have become one of the most popular prog rock bands on the European continent, and they’ve also developed a large following in Asia as well as a smaller but no less faithful one in the U.S. The Pineapple Thief have bridged the gaps between prog, indie rock, and sophisticated pop, drawing favorable comparisons to Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, and others thanks to albums such as 2007’s What We Have Sown and 2010’s Someone Here Is Missing.
Ref: AllMusic
Discography:
Studio albums
1999 Abducting the Unicorn (2017 remastered + 1 bonus track)
2002 One Three Seven (137)
2003 Variations on a Dream
2005 10 Stories Down (2004 – 12 Stories Down – preview edition of 10 Stories Down)
2006 Little Man
2007 What We Have Sown
2008 Tightly Unwound
2010 Someone Here Is Missing
2012 All the Wars
2014 Magnolia
2016 Your Wilderness
2018 Dissolution
2020 Versions of the Truth
Live albums
2003 – Live (DVD featuring 10 live tracks and 4 new studio recordings)
2008 – Live at the Half Moon, Putney (Video)
2010 – Someone Here Is Live (download only live album from the October 2010 Europe tour)
2013 – Live at the 013 (download only live album)
2014 – Live 2014 (recorded at De Boerderij in the Netherlands during the Magnolia European tour in November, 2014)
2017 – Where We Stood (live album from the European winter tour)
2019 – Hold Our Fire (live album from European headline tour in September, 2018)
Sacramento’s K-ZAP 93.3 FM plays The Pineapple Thief. All part of 50 years of Rock, Blues and More, 24-7 on our station’s stream at K-ZAP.ORG/LISTEN/
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