Versions of the Truth
Different people can remember the same event in incompatible ways. Versions of the Truth turns that ordinary problem into an atmosphere of doubt, giving The Pineapple Thief's restrained rock a clear emotional concern. The music is at its most effective when the instruments seem to offer competing views of the same phrase.
The opening title track develops through changes in emphasis. Guitar, keyboards and percussion take turns directing the movement, and the arrangement remains unsettled even as Bruce Soord's voice gives it a recognisable centre. The refusal to settle into an obvious payoff suits a song concerned with uncertainty.
Break It All has a more direct physical attraction. Its firm guitar riff and active drumming give the album a useful burst of anger, while the voice keeps some distance from the instrumental attack. Demons works through a brighter, more immediately inviting hook. The darker feeling beneath its easy movement makes it more interesting than an uncomplicated release of tension.
Driving Like Maniacs reduces the scale. The quieter vocal and keyboard setting allows the weariness in the song to become clear without a major dramatic gesture. Soord is persuasive here because his measured delivery leaves room for the listener to recognise the feeling rather than being instructed how strongly to experience it.
Our Mire is the strongest larger arrangement. Gavin Harrison's rhythmic detail keeps the different sections active, and the instrumental development gives the disputed emotional ground a convincing musical form. The song finds force through the relationship between parts rather than relying on one especially heavy passage.
Some of the surrounding material shares a similar subdued temperature, making the record less immediately varied than its details deserve. Stop Making Sense offers a welcome disturbance through its more irregular movement and unusual textures. The Game then closes with keyboards and drums creating an uneasy space around the voice.
Versions of the Truth rewards attention without demanding that every subtlety be noticed at once. The melodies provide an accessible entrance, and the playing keeps finding small complications inside them. Its strongest songs turn a familiar sound into a thoughtful account of how difficult it can be to understand another person.
