TIGHTLY UNWOUND

I confess to being a PINEAPPLE THIEF fan for years, and this seventh album from Bruce and the boys continues the excellence that began with their debut "Abducting The Unicorn". It's also great to see this band getting some respect (good ratings) on this site with their last three albums. In fact of the 12 people who rated this one up to this point (including me) 11 have given it either 4 or 5 stars.

Things get started with "My Debt To You" which is a rather tame opening track. Acoustic guitar and fragile vocals to open that are contrasted with the fuller sounding sections with strummed guitar and stronger vocals. Good song though. "Shoot First" is a more uptempo song as drums pound away. It calms down when vocals arrive a minute in. The contrast continues. A spacey synth section 3 minutes in. "Sinners" is all about the vocals, strummed guitar and drumming. Love the tasteful guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. "Tightly Wound" is a catchy, mid-paced tune. Heavy drums and synths lead the way early. Vocals a minute in. I like when he sings "Look what you've done, you've made me throw up on your floor". This one features much more aggressive vocals and guitars at times, that are contrasted well with the reserved vocals and mellower soundscapes. Some orchestral-like sounds to end it. Great tune. "The Sorry State" opens with strummed guitar and vocal melodies. Nice. Vocals take over as acoustic guitar continues. Drums and a fuller sound 1 1/2 minutes in. Love the guitar a minute later.

"My Bleeding Hand" is an uptempo tune with a solid soundscape. The guitar sounds great 1 1/2 minutes in, and it starts to rip it up before 2 1/2 minutes. Great ending. One of my favs. "Different World" opens with beautifully played acoustic guitar with synths. A powerful soundscape follows. This over 10 minute track takes us through many tempos and moods. "And So Say All Of You" opens with acoustic guitar and synths. Reserved vocals come in. It sounds like mellotron then violin before we get a fuller sound with drums 1 1/2 minutes in. It settles back down beautifully. Amazing tune. Very PORCUPINE TREE-like. "Too Much To Lose" is the over 15 minute closer. And what a closer it is. One of their best tracks ever. Piano, drums and synths in a dreamy intro. Vocals are sung calmly and slowly. Guitar after 3 minutes cries out. The tempo starts to pick up a minute later as the song becomes more powerful. Heavy electric guitar. Fantastic sound 6 minutes in ! Before 7 minutes the song stops and becomes quite haunting, drums come in around 7 1/2 minutes followed by spoken words as the haunting sounds continue. Great section. Heavy electric guitar 9 minutes in. It calms down to a whisper before it starts to slowly build. The tempo picks up with some nice guitar. Vocals return 14 minutes in.

I admit that these guys can do no wrong in my eyes, at least not yet. Haha. A solid 4 stars.