3000 Days

The progressive rockers who emerged in the '90s and 2000s ranged from time-warped artists who faithfully emulated the prog explorers of the '60s and '70s to artists who combined prog rock with '90s/2000s alternative rock and were not oblivious to life in a post-Nevermind world. This best-of collection, which spans 1999-2008, makes it clear that the Pineapple Thief falls into the latter category; founder/leader Bruce Soord appreciates Pink Floyd's classic '70s albums, but the fact that he enjoys Wish You Were Here and Dark Side of the Moon doesn't make him any less appreciative of Nirvana, Radiohead, or melodic industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails. Granted, some things changed for Soord over the years. At first, the Pineapple Thief was his solo project. But along the way, he hired other musicians as full-time members and turned the Pineapple Thief into an actual group. Stylistically, however, Soord hasn't changed radically since 1999 (the year in which the Pineapple Thief's debut album, Abducting, came out. The older tracks on this two-CD set, and the more recent material, make it clear that the Pineapple Thief is a product of both progressive rock and alternative rock -- and Soord has no problem finding the parallels between Syd Barrett and Trent Reznor. 3000 Days, which lasts about 143 minutes, is a little too generous to be described as simply an "Introductory Pineapple Thief 101" release; there are a lot of essential tracks, but there are also some alternate takes and alternate mixes that would be more of interest to hardcore fans more than casual listeners. Nonetheless, all of the tracks are respectable; even the less-than-essential offerings are at least decent. And whether Soord is heard as a solo artist or as a group leader, 3000 Days gives us plenty of reasons to admire the way he draws on different rock eras for inspiration.|