ABDUCTING THE UNICORN [AKA: ABDUCTED AT BIRTH]

Having been a fan of Vulgar Unicorn's work for some time, I eagerly awaited the release of 'Abducting the Unicorn', the first album from Bruce Soord's new spinoff band Pineapple Thief. On the whole, I was not disappointed, yet as other reviewers have noted this is a difficult album to categorise. 'Private Paradise' kicks us off with a gentle acoustic guitar intro soon joined by electric guitar effects and a Billy Corgan soundalike vocal. The track has an extempore feel, almost like a jam session, and a hint of Porcupine Tree is definitely in the air.

The second track 'Drain' is probably the one you will remember when the album is finished. The infectious guitar riff of the chorus plays through my mind all night after I've been listening to it! The third track continues the musical style, but 'No One Leaves This Earth' takes us into slightly different territory. The sound is quite different - a stacatto keyboard arpeggio introduction, joined by a drum beat and broad synth chords. The spoken vocals and Floydian guitar solos remind us where we are now. This is definitely Porcupine Tree of the Voyage 34 era - almost psychadelic.

Track 5 returns us to the acoustic guitar-led sound from the beginning of the album. Track six 'Everyone Must Perish' is an interesting little instrumental in 5/4 time, shared between keyboards and guitar, before the rockier electric guitar driven 'Judge The Girl'. 'Parted Forever' is by far the longest track on the album - a lovely melancholic piece with several delightful solos - probably worth the purchase price of the album alone! We close with a 'hidden' track - another acoustic guitar song.

If I have a criticism of this album it would be that it lacks really strong melodies. I have played it dozens of times over the years, but the chorus of Drain is often the only bit that sticks in the mind. Some of the music almost has a soundtrack feel to it - but much the same could be said of Soord's earlier work. This is not for those who like their prog heavy or complicated, but as the debut of a new project it is a solid start and worth a listen if you like early Porcupine Tree/Pink Floyd.