Pink Floyd released their 15th and final album named The Endless River on Nov. 10. Produced by David Gilmour, this album to me seemed like another version of Pink Floyd’s The Division Bell which released in 1994. For those who know Pink Floyd well, this album is similar in the sense that there are lots of combined instrumentals and guitar riffs. Another similarity is, this album does not have select songs. It’s almost as if the album is one big song in itself. The proclaimed song from the new record is “Louder Than Words.” This song is the only one with noticeable vocals and more The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon-sounding instrumentals.
Of the original band members Richard Wright, Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and David Gilmour, Wright and Barrett passed away and Waters had departed from the band. Pink Floyd was left with Gilmour to produce The Endless River on his own. The basis of the album was to put together all unfinished work from previous Floyd albums (mainly from the Division Bell) into a final one. With the help of guitarist Phil Manzanera, saxophonist Gilad Atzmon, bassist Guy Pratt and back up vocalist Durga McBroom, they worked together to revisit and remaster some of Floyd’s old, unreleased work.
Overall this album was not my favorite. However, what did we expect? Pink Floyd is an old band, releasing their best albums in the ‘80s. Floyd fans who were more into their heavy/psychedelic rock will probably not find this album great. To me it was too slow. The album had minimal vocals and no heavy solos from any artist. The album seemed like something you would hear at a spa, in my opinion. However, new listeners or fans of The Division Bell and their more trippy rock era may enjoy this album more. With soft tunes and mellow chords, the album is something to lie back to after a stressful day when you don’t want a screaming guitar or intense vocals for sure. However, for someone like me or someone who enjoys more intense rock music, this album is definitely not for you, and maybe you better stick to Animals, Wish You Were Here or The Dark Side of the Moon.