Customer Reviews

10 Stories Down

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

By far, this is the best album of rock (of any kind) that your money will be able to buy this year. Everyting is here: hard stuff and sad songs. These guys have managed to mix the best things of Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Oasis and even have some room to engrave their own signatures.

Essential stuff.

Pineapple Thief are getting into the habit of releasing CDs with BONUS CDs (On "Variations of a Dream it was "8 days", and on "12 STories down" it was "8 days later"). These pieces were supposedly written/produced/mastered etc in that 8 day period,and these so called Bonus CDs are not just filler stuff either.I am basing this review on the "12 Stories down" CD. The difference between 10SD and 12SD is that 10SD has the songs "Wretched Soul" and "(I will) light up your eyes" whereas 12SD includes the songs "Watch the world turn grey", "Catch a jumping fool" and "Take our hands". I have listened to the versions of the songs on 10SD and there is a noticeable difference in the mix of the songs as well, so quite honestly, for all real Pineapple Thief fans,you need both, and dont forget the EP "4 Stories down" which has an unreleased track "Ground floor" and extended version of "Subside". I wonder if there is a single entitled "2 Stories down"? HA HA.
Phew-It gets confusing doesnt it. Anyway, onto the Album (10SD),
you cannot go wrong. Overall, it is stronger than "Variations.."
and the softer,moodier,melancholic songs,for me, are by far the more enjoyable (i.e. Clapham/From where you're standing/Its just you and me).Whereas the heavier "Oblivion" would be my least favourite.It would not sound out of place on the "Abducting the Unicorn" CD too. "Prey for me" is a great Opener too. There is a free Acoustic download of this song on Pineapple Thiefs Homepage as well. Other songs I highly enjoyed
are "Watch the world turn grey" from 12SD, and "5 minute song" from the 8 days later Bonus disc.You are best advised to go get the CDs from GFT-Cyclops Label in England, or direct to the Pineapple Thief Homepage as some of the prices for P.T. CDs on the Internet are getting ridiculous. I also highly recommend you get the versions with the Bonus Discs.

I've listened to this album several times through now, and the only thing I have to say about it is, "meh." It has some nice tunes and a peaceful ambience to it, and the songs are fairly well written, but there's not too much in the way of originality, and it's not exciting. Every time I've been left thinking it's decent background music, but nothing has compelled me to go out and buy all their albums, and I never have a strong desire to spin it for any reason other than "I'll give it another chance."

"From Where I'm Standing" is the best track for me, but it is a short apex. It is followed by "Light Up Your Eyes I", which actually got a little irritating at the end with its over-the-top repetition. A few other tracks are worth listening to, but the album as a whole is lethargic.

As far as the comparisons to Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, and others? All of those artists have one thing in common: at one point, they come up with something new and interesting. Pineapple Thief, on the other hand, seems to be more in the Coldplay mold: their goal is to avoid offending anybody's taste at the expense of creativity.