Tags
david gilmour, Music, New Music, nick mason, pink floyd, prog, prog rock, progressive rock, review, richard wright, rick wright, rock, roger waters, the endless river
Even before anyone had heard a snippet of it, the quality of Pink Floyd’s The Endless River was being hotly debated. It’s easy to see why so many people were hyped for this album. It’s the first new material from Pink Floyd in twenty years, and includes material written by late keyboardist Richard Wright. That said, it’s also obvious why many are less than thrilled about this record. The music comes from the recording sessions for The Division Bell, which itself is a “love it or hate it” album among Floyd fans. Not only that, but Roger Waters, who led the band through their most successful period, is not featured at all on the album. So does The Endless River live up to Pink Floyd’s classic work, or does it fail?
Well, the first thing to note is that this is not a traditional Pink Floyd album. The Endless River is almost entirely instrumental, with only the final track “Louder Than Words” containing any lyrics. As such, it serves as a great tribute to Richard Wright’s keyboard work. It’s clear that David Gilmour wanted to pay his respects to Wright by releasing this material, and it really does deserve to be heard. Unfortunately, Gilmour’s additions to these tracks are less noteworthy. He may be one of the greatest guitarists of all time, but here it feels as though he’s going through the motions. There’s nothing on this album remotely close to the quality he gave on Pink Floyd’s classic albums, nor even his last solo album, On An Island.
As pleasant as some of the material on here can be, I have to admit it’s all very underwhelming. This album was designed to close the chapter on Pink Floyd, but it doesn’t feel like a very satisfying ending. Even “Louder Than Words,” which closes the album, doesn’t come close to The Division Bell’s “High Hopes.” Truth be told, there isn’t really anything striking at all on this album. It’s all quite forgettable.
The Endless River is pleasant, but nothing special. This feels more like a release for die-hard fans than an actual Pink Floyd album. And since many of those fans aren’t fond of the Gilmour-led era, I don’t see this album appealing to many. For those it does appeal to though, The Endless River will provide you with what you’ve been craving, but it’s unlikely you’ll enjoy it as much as the band’s classic albums. The album does have occasional moments of beauty though, and it is nice to hear more of Richard Wright’s keys. As an end to the Pink Floyd story, The Endless River doesn’t really work, but for those who just want to hear some new Floyd, it’s serviceable.
Dumb Music Talk 
I agree. I am a huge fan of the post-waters era. I won’t pretend Gilmour’s lyrics are anywhere near Waters’ on any of the post-Waters stuff, but I love the sound.
I thought it was beautiful and refreshing. It’s far from their best work but hey the HD Audio 5.1 Blu-ray sounds great. Ummagunna was not a great album but I still love to hear it. If you loved pre-Meddle Wright or post-Waters Gilmour, you will enjoy it!