Creating music during the pandemic

Creating Music During the Pandemic.

by Pete Clemons

When it is released later this year, the new album by The Pineapple Thief, will be significant for being possibly one of the first to be released in this new world we now find ourselves in. Its creation could well become a benchmark for how music, with a band, is arrived at in the future.

The songwriting process is now nothing like it was when The Pineapple Thief first began more then twenty years ago. Started. Nowadays it is a whole band effort. You need to get yourself a Bruce Soord solo album if you want to hear something akin to how it was during those early days.

The forthcoming album titled 'Versions of the Truth' began to evolve back in October / November 2018. Bruce Soord came up with the initial ideas. They were sent to drummer Gavin Harrison who then adds his parts. And this back and forth process continues until both keyboard player Steve Kitch and bassist Jon Sykes have both done their thing.

But unlike traditional band albums the whole creation of an album can nowadays, by way of skilled use of computer programmes and the internet, be completed remotely. None of the band members need never meet up face to face until a tour commences. For this particular project it seemed too work easy. By the time of the pandemic the band were getting to the end of process. And by the time of lockdown, and with nothing else to focus on, the album was easy to complete. Which came as a relief to record company, K.Scope, who had been promised a completed record by the end of January 2020 but that promise date went out to May.

As for the albums concept, well the title says everything really. It is a series of songs about versions of truths and is open to interpretation. It can be taken at so many levels but the overriding theme is distorting the truth for your own personal gain. Saying whatever you want, lies or not, so long as it fits your agenda. And this is applied through whole album. And these twisted truths apply to love and betrayal. Even friendships. Themes that seem to travel through most TPT songs. But at the root of it all is personal experiences and people.

Ultimately though, the songs can only come from what Bruce Soord has seen and heard. What makes him react and what drives him into picking up the guitar and writing words and a riff. And that format is not likely to change.

At this time there is a great camaraderie within the band and, as a collaborative, they know when the ideas are right and in what direction they want to go. They are in agreement that, compared to the last album, they always want to feel that the listener is moving in different directions and in a direction they all like. And they feel like they have accomplished that with this new album. But, of course, it is difficult to quantify that until it is unleashed.

The new direction is an organic move rather than a planned one. And if it feels to close to what they have done before then they will shift position deliberately. The band are happy with the albums overall final production. But they are also, well aware of how the listener will hear it. It may be a technically perfect record but, that counts for nothing, if it is not good enough for the listener. And the band knows when the album is complete. And this is when the record is being tweaked and it is not getting any better. It just sounds different.

The albums sleeve and associated artwork has taken on a story of its own. It was all created by Gavin's father in law, the late Michael Schoenholtz, a renowned sculpture. Gavin came across etchings belonging to Michael, and without the band knowing of their origin so as not to sway any decisions, presented around a dozen images, that were then narrowed down to the final choice.

Gavin didn't want to put the band to under any emotional pressure about who had created the images. He just wanted the truth about them. As such the albums art came together quicker than any previous TPT album.

K.Scope have also, it appears, beaten the pandemic by confidently releasing the albums release date of September 4. Somehow, during this most incredibly difficult time, they have managed to circumvent all the potential obstacles in the manufacturing and printing processes. Despite this being the most awful of times, the virus it seems, will not completely disrupt the creation of new music.