UK based composer and musician Bruce SOORD is primarily known as a member of UK band The Pineapple Thief, although he have also had a couple of side ventures over the years. In 2015 he felt it was time for a regular solo album as well, and his self-titled debut albums was released through UK label Kscope in the late fall of 2015, and was subsequently launched in the US in early 2016.
I understand that Pineapple Thief, at least at the onset, was something of a solo project for Soord, and I guess it is more or less reasonable to assume that the need for a solo album at this point is due to this venture now having solidified into a more regular band venture. From what I can tell the material on this solo album is also of a kind that probably wouldn’t be a natural fit for Pineapple Thief at this point, at least not without being developed a bit further. The general nature of the moods and atmospheres explored are fairly similar, but the material on this album is, by and large, of a more delicate nature.
Many compositions comes across as creations that at their core can be described as belonging to the singer/songwriter tradition. The acoustic guitar and the lead vocals being the main and fairly often sole components establishing the core foundation, and in the case of opening track Black Smoke the piano taking the role of the acoustic guitar. And while this core foundation is expanded upon, albeit often in a rather unobtrusive manner, the vocals and use of vocal harmonies is the dominant aspect of all the songs here. Soord has a a well controlled voice, and his main strength is to add emotional impact to the material, which he does with elegance and sophistication throughout.
When that is said, this isn’t an album that revolves solely around the melancholic, somewhat introspective dimensions you tend to encounter when you have the singer/songwriter tradition paired of with emotional laden lead vocals. The most impressive piece here, The Odds, is more of an up tempo, invigorating experience, with pop song sensibilities and a playful, funk-tinged aspect to some of the key recurring guitar parts. And towards the end both Familiar Patterns and Leaves Leave Me plays around with cinematic and orchestral inspired details, some clever crescendo build-ups and the inclusion of textured instrument deliveries adding something of a post-rock sheen to these tracks. But also on other compositions certain details are added in to extend the scope and increase the depth of the end user experience, that a song is a singer/songwriter creation at heart doesn’t mean that this core cannot be expanded.
At the end of the day this is more of a low key, emotional and dampened experience than a Pineapple Thief album however. And not one that comes across as being a collection of leftovers either, the songs are engaging in their own right and are well developed and performed too. Less intense and less dramatic than what fans of Pineapple Thief might be accustomed to, but elegant creations with a melancholic, emotional feel to them that should still come across as familiar, especially due to Soord’s vocals. Those fond of moods and atmospheres of that very nature, and with a certain affection for material that fairly often touch base with a singer/songwriter tradition, should take note of this CD.
My rating: 82/100
