What do we call an album that was not strictly speaking recorded in a studio. And that was not recorded live in front of people, and is definitively not a collection of demos but instead was broadcast live over the internet? We’re going to need a word. The last year and a half robbed musicians of the ability to play directly to their fans and we’re sure to see even more of these types of releases. I propose ‘Deads’. Or maybe undeads, given that they’re actually moving. Regardless of what you choose to call them, I’ve had one whisk it’s way to me by the power of the internet. Noted ananas larceny representatives THE PINEAPPLE THIEF put together an album covering their vast back catalogue.
This album is a great starting point for any prospective fans as it includes what I consider to be the highlights of their career. And let’s look at them:
From Dissolution, we have five tracks including the sublime Threatening War. I think there are many ways to express a particular sentiment and often only the slightest change can take it from one level to another that no one was expecting. The studio album version is as close to perfect in its delivery as possible but this live version is imperfect. I don’t know whether it’s just the contrast of the two but the slight errors, the notes that are too bright or too dull, and the faltering of the voice make this imperfectly heart-breaking. The composition has not changed nor has the instrumentation or lyrics but instead it’s position near the end of the show and the ability to not go back and perfect it make it something really special.
The album ends with a track from Your Wilderness. The Final Thing On My Mind. Which whilst a fitting title for a grande finale adds an extra level of weight to THE PINEAPPLE THIEF’s trademark pathos. Much like in the rest of the album the lack of the ability to go back and revise a riff, re-sing a line, or redo a beat add a rawness here that is an amazing thing to hear in music like this.
I’m not sure what else to say, I could sit here and sing the praises of this release that adds so much by just the transient quality of their performance or I could recommend background listening. I’m not going to do either. If you’ve read this far, you already know I love it. You already know that I’m telling you to listen to both this, and the albums that came before it. That’s the problem with releases that are too good. There’s nothing here to pick apart that doesn’t feel like complaining the Mona Lisa’s frame could be a bit less wooden. Ok, it might be a valid criticism based on personal take but it would REALLY be missing the point. The album releases on the 29th of October, so you’ll have ample time to listen to their discography. My suggestion is that you start at Dissolution and work backwards.
Rating: 10/10
Words: Jacob McCrone
Nothing But The Truth will be released 29th October 2021 via KScope Records.
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