SOMEONE HERE IS MISSING

The Pineapple Thief have been progressing and defining there sound over the past few years and seem to finally be settling into a comfort zone."Someone Here Is Missing" pushes forward the sound that was established in "Tightly Unwound" and improves upon many aspects.

Songwriting: The structures of these songs are definitely less cliche than average prog songs. Some songs are ambitious and almost experimental while other are very catchy with clever hooks. The album is definitely more of an "album" than previous works in the sense that it does have more of a central theme. The lyrics have also improved a lot as they seem to do with every new Thief album. Bruce Soord is consistently growing as a songwriter and lyricist. I'd expect nothing less than what is offered.

Production: The sounds of this album are some of the best this year. From the guitar tone to the retro synthesizers, they aren't normal. To me they are very pleasing and make me want to come back to this album again and again. The sounds are possibly the best feature on SHIM. The synths play more of a role in this album than previous Thief albums, but the guitar is what you'd expect. Though a lot of songs are electrically driven, the acoustic songs are the ones that I find to be more interesting. However as a whole, the production is very clean. Its a very typical sound of progressive rock (the guitars are emphasized and the vocals don't have any unique effects aside from reverb/delay).

Instrumentation: The whole band can hold there own when it comes to technical musicianship. Time signatures and somewhat difficult guitar riffs have become expected of this group. My only gripe is Soord's vocals. His voice has a nice tone, but he doesn't have a great range. Unless he is choosing not to utilize it. On the bright side, the harmonies are incredible. They aren't your standard vocal harmonies that you hear over and over again. If you're a fan of Steven Wilson's harmony technique, you will enjoy these as well.

Overall its a very enjoyable listen that will keep you coming back. If you're a fan of The Mars Volta, Guilt Machine, and maybe Porcupine Tree, you should definitely check this one out.