Versions of the Truth

After about a dozen listens I can firmly place this one slightly behind the previous release(dissolution) in third place behind Your Wilderness. Still growing on me so we’ll see where it lands. I have every release the pineapple thief have ever done and they are all great in their own right but let’s face it Gavin took this band to a new level by the grace of Bruce Soord. I guess that’s another thing we have to be thankful for with Steven Wilson. If he had not dissolved Porcupine Tree this may have never happened.

Don't enjoy this album as much as the last one. One to many slow tracks hence a lot of rim shot drums by Gavin. Although the slow track Too Many Voices is quite good. It seems when they have fewer slow tracks they stand out more. No epic track on this one and pretty laid back over all. My favorite period of theres is Tightly Wound through All the Wars anyway but I still quite like or love all the albums after,even if they lack some intensity. Just not this one quite as much. 4 stars.

I learned about this band due to other listeners discussing it on an audiophile forum. I had missed that Gavin Harrison (formerly of Porcupine Tree) is now the drummer for this band and is incredible. Anyway, the quality of the surround mix of this Blu Ray audio release is stunning. The musical proficiency of the band is also excellent. The music itself, like many audiophile recordings (or Prog Rock recordings for that matter), is mixed in quality. Some good songs, and others that are relatively weak. I understand from others that this may not be the best album by Pineapple Thief, so I'll buy more. But, if you like great musicianship or high resolution surround recordings this is worth buying.

I really wanted to like this album, but I found it to be a real snooze fest. Normally, I'd listen to Gavin Harrison sit down and play nothing more than rudiments, so when I heard the first single released, I got excited. Sadly, this album is a collection of songs with zero energy.I'm sure the new Fates Warning coming out in September will not disappoint me the way this album did.

Not my favorite by Pineapple Thief, but an excellent album all in all. Gavin has really stepped into the songwriting collaboration with Bruce, and you can hear it all through the album. Phenomenal drumming and drum tone by one of the best drummers on the planet. The rest of the band has stepped up their game as well. I really look forward to their return to Portland. They put on a GREAT show! buy it

I rate CD's by whether I want to listen to them multiple times...back to back or several time a week after they arrive. This cd has been played multiple times by me and I still want it to hear it some more. keep up the great work Bruce, Gavin and company.

I’m so in love with The Pineapple Thief that I getting this vinyl for my husband made me happy too!

One of their most unique albums to date. Love this band and how Bruce is constantly evolving.

I have a dilemma. I WANT to love this album as a fan of modern , contemporary progressive rock. Heres the problem.It sounds superb sonically . The production is beautiful. The playing is top class. It sounds superb on my 70s based vinyl hifi system.BUTIt doesnt rock. Its mid paced and doesnt make you want to either explode with excitement or chill right out.However i cant help but like it. The result leaves me confused but knowing there is a superb rock band in there.If you like PT you'll probably love it. If you want to explore modern progressive rock in all its glory then buy the latest Pendragon album.

I was a devoted TPT fan from their second album, I have seen them live many times and in truth they were my favourite band for more than ten years. One of my initial reasons for being so passionate about them was because I felt they weren't traditional prog and they were dragging the genre into the 21st century. Unfortunately after a bit of success they've become a more traditional middle of the road prog band without any hunger angst passion or fire.They've become beige and bland and trad prog and because of that they now disappear into the ocean of other bands with the same sound. Ive been deeply disappointed in their recent releases. I wish Bruce would keep that for his solo work and return to the sound that in my opinion saw them at the top of their game, namely on the albums Someone Here is Missing and tightly Unwound.This album is completely forgettable, nothing stands out and nothing on it gives me goose bumps or the chills like the best music always does. Because I've been such a fan I've been a completist in getting everything they've ever released. However my patience is running thin and I don't think I'll be bothering in the future. Their hunger has gone as has my passion for them. It's a real shame, I thought Bruce and the gang's work was going to be playing on my stereo until the day I died. I already miss them, but there's plenty more bands out there that can fill the gap they will leave in my collection.

I discovered The Pineapple Thief quite recently, drawn by the obvious similarities to Porcupine Tree. I have been a fan of the latter band and Steven Wilson's solo work since about 2008. "Versions Of The Truth" is another fine album by The Pineapple Thief and is now my fourth by them after "Someone Here Is Missing", "Your Wilderness" and "Dissolution". I enjoy all of these albums. As far as VOTT goes, my favourite tracks are "Break It All", "Our Mire" and "The Game". The last of these - the album closer - is hauntingly beautiful. And with lyrics such as:"You're taking us all for foolsYou're selling us down the river"it is particularly apt, in my opinion, for the difficult times we are currently living in. I think it is safe to assume that I will soon be adding more CDs by The Pineapple Thief to my collection.

At first I was not impressed but it takes a few listens to really get into it. My favourite album is Tightly Unwound and nothing has really beaten it, the addition of Gavin has given the band a new direction and has certainly improved the rather predictable song progression which at it's worst was heard on Magnolia.I bought the vinyl and KScope are fast proving that their pressings are dreadful, not helped by Amazon not supplying the Rip that is promised, I ended up with just one track, the title track, why is that!Persevere with this album, it does grow on you, it may not be as progressive as their previous two but it is still a great band.

Am 4. September 2020 erschien es, das bisher dreizehnte Studioalbum der englischen Band The Pineapple Thief, die sich im Jahr 1999 gegründet hat und deren Kopf Bruce Soord das einzige feste Mitglied der Band ist. „Versions Of The Truth“ heißt dieses neue Album und erschien - wie die letzten Platten der Band - auch wieder auf dem Plattenlabel KScope.The Pineapple Thief stehen für mich schon immer für sehr eingängige Musik. Die Lieder der Band gehen oft schnell ins Ohr und setzen sich dort auch fest. Diesbezüglich hat sich auch nichts auf „Versions Of The Truth“ geändert. Schöne Melodien gibt es auf dem Album zu hören, die lohnen gehört zu werden. Zwar sticht kein Titel besonders heraus, doch eingängig klingt das jederzeit.Schließlich machten The Pineapple Thief früher auch immer Musik, die zumeist nicht nach der Formel „Strophe – Refrain – Strophe – Refrain – Solo – Refrain“ funktionierte, sondern vielschichtiger und abwechslungsreicher klang und dementsprechend auch nicht einheitlich aufgebaut war. Auf den ersten Alben hörte sich das alles durchaus sogar auch progressiv an, doch davon hat sich Bruce Soord mit seiner Band inzwischen entfernt. Wenn man möchte, so kann man die Musik auf „Versions Of The Truth“ sicherlich noch mit Art Rock umschreiben, oftmals hört man auf der Platte allerdings auch poppigen Rock bis Alternative Rock, der zumindest teilweise leider ein klein wenig von der Magie früherer Veröffentlichungen verloren hat.Das bedeutet wiederum nicht, dass „Versions Of The Truth“ ein schlechtes Album geworden ist – auch keineswegs ein langweiliges. Die Lieder gehen, wie bereits erwähnt, schnell ins Ohr, klingen eingängig und sind weit davon entfernt alltäglichen Pop darzustellen. Auch wohnt den Liedern eine gewisse melancholische Atmosphäre inne, die auch früher schon oft auf den Alben der Band zu hören und sogar fast zu spüren war. Das Zuhören macht also auch dieses Mal durchaus Spaß, jedoch das Besondere, das Überraschende, welches Musik manchmal innewohnt und jener von The Pineapple Thief auf den ersten Veröffentlichungen sehr häufig innewohnte, das hört man auf dieser Platte nur noch bedingt und ansatzweise.Aber diese Stellen gibt es eben doch auch auf „Versions Of The Truth“. Das Lied „Out Of Line“ ist solch eine atmosphärisch dichte Nummer, in die sich wunderschön und tief eintauchen lässt. Der Opener und gleichzeitig das Titellied „Versions Of The Truth“ erinnert mich phasenweise ein wenig an Peter Gabriels „No Self Control“, was sicherlich an der Instrumentierung mit dem Klang des Marimbaphons liegt. Und beim längsten Titel der Platte, dem Lied „Our Mire“, rockt es auch mal mehr und das Stück durchläuft verschiedene musikalische Phasen, wodurch zusätzlich Spannung aufgebaut wird. Schließlich sei an dieser Stelle auch noch das letzte Lied des Albums „The Game“ erwähnt. Wieder eine sehr intensive und jetzt auch irgendwie getragene Nummer, die stimmungsvoll die Hörerin und den Hörer aus dem Album hinausbegleitet. Für mich der Höhepunkt des gesamten Albums.Fazit: The Pineapple Thief steht auch auf „Versions Of The Truth“ für melodiöse und eingängige Musik, die eher sanft und ruhig klingt und keine Hektik aufkommen lässt. Für die stillen Momente des Tages sicherlich bestens geeignet, denn Zeit sollte man sich für dieses Album definitiv nehmen, um sich gut hineinzuhören. So weit, so gut. Ein wenig geht dem Album allerdings das Innovative und Besondere ab, für das die Band auf früheren Alben ebenso stand. Nun, Zeiten ändern sich und Bands entwickeln sich weiter. „Versions Of The Truth“ ist trotzdem hörenswert.