Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

Virtuosic but slight – always prog’s problem: The Pineapple Thief’s latest reviewed

Only ‘Demons’ sticks to the inside of your brain and demands a repeat performance

issue 19 September 2020
Grade: B–

Of all the various subdivisions in that wheezing and crippled phenomenon that we call rock music, prog has fared better than most, spawning its own devilish offspring in math rock and post-rock. Why? Maybe we are more amenable to bombast and pretension these days. Or perhaps new studio technology lends itself to the genre — hell, you can hear prog time signatures in top ten hits. Maybe more to the point, prog offers a broader avenue than, say, heavy metal or punk. Prog is often what bands end up doing even if that’s not what they think they’re doing: Radiohead, Muse — even Arcade Fire or the National.

This is the 14th album from Somerset band the Pineapple Thief (prog is very much a West Country thing).

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in