To accompany last year’s Variations On A Dream, Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord released an accompanying disc, 8 Days. Like the title suggests, this disc was recorded over an eight day span and, remarkably, contains superb music that rivals that found on the stellar Variations.

Now that Soord has followed up Variations with 12 Stories Down, he decided to put himself through another grueling eight-day recording session with 8 Days Later. There’s one catch this time – he’s brought some help in the form of musical, lyrical and thematic contributions made by members from his Private Paradise newsgroup.

And the outcome? Let’s just say that it was another eight days well spent as the results once again prove that great music doesn’t necessarily need months to create.

The song that Soord created on the first day of this excursion, titled simply “Sunday 8 August,” is a rocking number that originated from an acoustic guitar theme sent to Soord from Steve Brock. Soord adds some excellent electric guitar as well as a lot of subtle keyboard flourishes that really support the song.

Monday’s track is an atmospheric instrumental with some creepy keyboard effects. Soord shows once again that he excels at creating instrumental buildup in his songs. Electric guitar is followed by programmed percussion, then by piano, strings and mellotron. He does this so deftly that you may not even notice, which is the genius of it all. And to think, it took him less than seven hours to create this.

Tuesday’s song begins and ends with musical texture provided by Private Paradise member Remy Turpault with Soord’s music in between inspired by a theme from Linda Van Brakel about how an August day in Phoenix might be. Soord lays guitars and various keyboards down over top of this seemingly mellow piece. Halfway through, though, electrical mayhem breaks out with guitar, keyboards and programmed percussion all fighting it out. Some eerie mellotron sounds and quickly strummed acoustic guitar close out the number.

Wednesday, a lovely ballad follows with Soord singing accompanied only by acoustic guitar and electric piano. While a pretty solid song, its only fault is that at eight and a half minutes, it goes on for a bit too long and would have been stronger if it were a few minutes shorter.

An instrumental prog throwback is Thursday’s offering with Soord incorporating acoustic guitar from Jim Brooks. Some cool percussive effects and strings act as a mellow balance to the heavier electric guitar and synthesizer parts. Thursday mixes progressive instrumental prowess with some industrial elements quite nicely.

A musically upbeat song follows (it’s Friday, what would you expect). Acoustic guitar, piano and programmed percussion carry the song, along with Soord’s double-tracked vocals. Probably in keeping with Soord’s frame of mind at the time, the song’s lyrics begin with the line, “This is a five minute song, I can’t go on.”

With thematic inspiration by Lee Padgett and some moody textures and drones sent in by Sepand and Oscar Fuentes, Saturday’s song starts off with a dark, gloomy feel. After nearly two minutes of this, some very cool electronic drumming and bass synthesizer kicks in, giving the song a very futuristic feel. A multitude of guitar and keyboard effects are all used to great affect. Midway through, the song totally changes gears as some double bass takes the forefront, followed by some jagged electric guitar.

The final day offers a beautiful, near instrumental, with the only vocals being “ahh’s” from Soord. Piano and acoustic guitar are the instruments of choice here, with some airy keyboard sounds floating above it all. A great way to end another successful recording experiment.

For 8 Days Later’s final three tracks, Soord includes three bonus tracks of outtakes from 12 Stories Down. And there’s one problem, these three songs are so good that they deserve more than bonus track status. Propelled by electric piano and some spiking electric guitar, “Who Will Be There?” starts off the trio. Angry vocals and even angrier guitar make for a marvelous track. Next up is another aggressive tune, “Wretched Soul.” Some effects on Soord’s vocals perfectly convey this aggression, as does the driving drumming and guitars. The downbeat “I Will Light Up Your Eyes” closes out 8 Days Later and includes a majestic chorus.

So, much like 8 Days, 8 Days Later is a must have, especially for the incredible trio of bonus tracks. So be sure to go to www.pineapplethief.com and order the limited edition of 12 Stories Down before they’re all gone. If not, you’ll be regretting it (and ultimately, paying a handsome sum for it on E-Bay).