For those not in the know, The Pineapple Thief is a progressive rock band, started by Bruce Soord in 1999 in Somerset, England, and which has gone on to thus far release an incredible twelve studio albums.

Founder Bruce Soord started The Pineapple Thief as an outlet for his music back in 1999, releasing their debut, Abducting the Unicorn on Cyclops Records that very same year.

That created enough interest to establish a small, but wholly loyal fan base, which allowed Soord to return to the Dining Room Studios to work on the second album, 137 in 2002.

During this time, several major labels started to take an interest, but it was arguably their the third album, Variations on a Dream (2003) that gave TPT the boost they needed. Reaching out to yet more people all over the world, and now consistently the top sellers on their label, Cyclops, Soord's TPT has taken off.

A true perfectionist at heart, Soord and his band finished 12 Stories Down in 2004, but he was never really happy with the final sound and so set about re-recording, remixing and changing some of the tracks - before it finally became 10 Stories Down (2005).

Band members came and went, but Soord remained, releasing Little Man in 2006, then What We Have Sown in late 2007. That was their final Cyclops release before being signed to Kscope, a division of Snapper Music.

In 2008, The Pineapple Thief launched the Kscope label with the critically acclaimed album, Tightly Unwound, which they followed in 2009 by The Dawn Raids EPs and then 3000 Days - a 2CD remixed and remastered collection of songs from their ten-year history to date.

In January 2010, their 2006 album, Little Man was also fully remixed by Bruce Soord and Steve Kitch and released through Kscope with new artwork. Someone Here Is Missing was released in 2010, which was backed that same year by the download-only album, Someone Here Is Live.

The band entered the studio in January 2012 to record their ninth album, which included (for the first time) a 22-piece orchestra and choir, and was entitled All the Wars. Their tenth studio album, Magnolia, was released in 2014 and peaked at #55 on UK Album Chart.

In late 2016, the band released their eleventh album Your Wilderness, and this year, August 31st, 2018, to be precise, TPT will release their twelfth album, the quite stunning Dissolution via Kscope Records.

1. 'Not Naming Any Names'
2. 'Try As I Might'
3. 'Threatening War'
4. 'Uncovering Your Tracks'
5. 'All That You've Got'
6. 'Far Below'
7. 'Pillar Of Salt'
8. 'White Mist'
9. 'Shed A Light'

Elevating itself to whole new heights, showcasing developing songwriting and technical capabilities, the work on this brand new album is, without a doubt, both masterful and inspired.

The album concept tells of the dark consequences of living in a society in which everything is played out on a public stage (a theme paralleled in the cover art, which was created by 'glitching' the original photographs).

Songwriter Bruce Soord explains, "In a time when we are supposed to be bound closer together than ever, I have never felt so apart from the world. We are living through a revolution and right now I am not sure it’s a good one. Lyrically this is the most vivid I have been."

At times stripped and acoustically raw (such as the opener, 'Not Naming Any Names,' the beautiful 'Threatening War'), other times plugged in and buzzing (such as one of my own personal favorites, 'Try As I Might' and the Rushesque 'Uncovering Your Tracks'), the mixing of Dissolution was handled by Soord and guest drummer Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson), and mastering was done by the band's keyboardist, Steve Kitch.

The upbeat rhythms of tracks such as both 'All That You've Got' and the guitar wizardry of 'Far Below' showcase that TPT under Soord's continual direction might just be showcasing here some of their best work to date. The stoic ambiance of 'Pillar Of Salt' is then followed by 'White Mist,' a track that also features Ace guitarist David Torn.

With the, at times, haunting 'Shed A Light' bringing the musical opus to a close, please know that there is also a 4-Disc, 52-page Deluxe Book Edition available. It contains exclusive additional artwork, the original album on CD plus a second CD of bonus music, and a DVD and Blu-Ray featuring the album and bonus material in a 24/96 DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround sound mix and 24/96 hi-res stereo audio.

Amazon CD Purchase Link

4-Disc Deluxe Book Edition Purchase Link