Where We Stood ［CD+Blu-ray Disc］

Where We Stood is a live document captured during the last show of the Pineapple Thief's Your Wilderness tour, captured in front of a sold-out crowd at the Islington Assembly Hall in London in November of 2016. The standard package includes a DVD partnered with an audio disc -- while the deluxe edition features an extra audio disc, Blu-ray, and hardbound book. For most, the standard kit will suffice, as this is no ordinary concert film. In addition to showcasing the expanded lineup -- with Godsticks guitarist Darran Charles and King Crimson drummer Gavin Harrison joining frontman Bruce Soord, keyboardist Steve Kitch, and bassist Jon Sykes -- in a concert setting, this show was captured using 15 cameras from a massive variety of angles including back of the hall, a jib up top, and more. While the material most often reflects the Your Wilderness material, there are choice moments from earlier offerings represented as well. The light show isn't spectacular; with its melange of rich deep blues, crimson, and occasionally magentas and oranges, it doesn't need to be. Given the proximity of the cameramen during the performance, every important musical nuance is captured. But the video is also unconventional: the performance is broken up between songs with interview footage with Soord, Sykes, and Charles. It's enlightening, even if you know the narrative, but one does have to wonder if that methodology will yield distraction after more than one viewing. The entire gig is a knockout, but there are highlights. Opener "Tear You Up" offers a gorgeous showcase for both Charles' muscular playing style and Harrison's authoritative, inventive drumming. Key instrumental passages from the band are captured strikingly. Soord, free of lead guitar duties, is free to delve completely into his lyrics and melodies; he becomes inseparable from them, so confident is he in the band's support. "In Exile" showcases the stellar interplay between Kitch, Harrison, Charles, and Sykes, as Soord finds both foundation and safety inside their grooves. Likewise, "The Final Thing on My Mind" -- expanded to nearly 11 minutes -- offers dynamic textural and dramatic transitions that elevate it above the studio version. Soord's vocal is chilling, while Harrison syncopates and forces musical gear changes at will. Some of the older material shines too, as evidenced by "The One You Left to Die," "Alone at Sea," and "Simple as That," a trilogy of songs from 2014's Magnolia. The limpid beauty in "Alone at Sea" is all the more bracing for the sinister atmospheric soundscapes that envelop the following "That Shore." The now obligatory "Part Zero" (the band's first real prog number, from 2003's Variations on a Dream) is invested with new energy and finesse, while "Snowdrops" (from 2006's Little Man), with its Celtic interlude and outro, is nearly transcendent. While the concert/interview segments are initially jarring, they actually displace the viewer's attention just enough: each successive track becomes its own welcome surprise. With its striking visuals and wonderful sound and concept, Where We Stood is how a concert film is done, folks. ~ Thom Jurek