THE PINEAPPLE THIEF – Last To Run

vote
7.0

Let's face it clearly, metalheads and rock music fans like, deep down, to complain: we complain when a group releases an album every decade like Wintersun did, we complain when the releases are frequent but too dull (as happens with groups like League Of Distortion), we complain when new works take a musical turn that we don't like or when artists push too hard on a given effect that we don't like, as Metallica did with “Death Magnetic” and their passion for compressed sounds.
And then there are groups like The Pineapple Thief who move in their niche made of quiet prog rock, bring out a good album like “It Leads To This” and, getting their hands back on the 'waste' material, decide to give us a five-track accessory entitled “Last To Run” about which we could say anything but complain.
Earlier this year, after interviewing lead singer and founder, Bruce Soord, we clearly understood that the previous album barely contained the band's creative drive and that a lot of good music had been cut away to fit within the timeframe of a marketable project.
“Last To Run” represents precisely the band's desire to say “wait a minute, we're not finished yet, there's still a small dessert that could please your palate”.
And, after listening to the EP, we can say with pleasure that it certainly pleased our palate, especially thanks to more harsh and direct pieces such as the title track, or the piano backbeats of “Election Day”, to which a bit of guitar energy is added on the choruses, not to mention the beautiful bass that marks the progress of “All Because Of Me” and would make everyone tap their feet.
Listening to the five proposed tracks one has the impression of enjoying a complete and complete product, rather than a collection of musical remnants; and this is precisely the interesting part of an album which, despite being presented in EP form, shows commitment and attention to detail, starting with an original and well-designed cover and ending with thick and very convincing writing.
“Last To Run” is a nice appendix to a good album that really leaves a pleasant aftertaste in our mouths, pleasantly bringing back memories of many of the flavors of the previous work which, after almost a year, were starting to fade.
In the opinion of the writer, the gesture of a band that has the courage to break the mold and release an EP in order to offer the general public the music on which they had invested time, instead of leaving the less captivating tracks – admittedly that they can be defined as such – into oblivion.
In short, “Last To Run” is a nice reinforcement to a work that in itself was already very convincing and can only remain on similar ratings.