The Sleeve:
The Liner/Sleeve Notes:
None.
Personal Review:
So every once and a while I like to do something a little more mainstream, as opposed to my usual target of private pressings. I do think this is pretty mainstream, and it’s Pink Floyd’s latest, and I’m quite familiar with their old stuff, so I’m not sure about this one, but hey! Here we go.
The A-Side opens with the song “Things Left Unsaid” and do you ever think that when bands name tracks like that there is some hidden meaning behind it or something? The song opens with some inaudible talking and then really ambient keyboard playing as various electronic sounds are played behind it. Just ambiance. There seems to be a rise. Distant. Rising. Louder. (Turning down volume.) Oh! I think that is a guitar playing, I don’t really know. This is just so ambient. Like, sadly ambient. Ending movie theme sad. Onto the second track “It’s What We Do” and if what they do is not let people know of track breaks than maybe they shouldn’t do it. I didn’t think that was cool. But, the song is still very ambient, some nice guitar playing in the back. I think we may be experiencing a guitar solo here. The A-Side closes with the track “Ebb and Flow” – not sure what that means, but they did put a track break in, so yay. Oh, and it’s over.
“Sum” opens the B-Side, and we’re about 1/4 the way through this album and so far, nothing. I do like this interesting music playing though, such ambiance. Whoa, what it just got good! Guitar solo, drums! More drums! Seriously, I need at least some vocals, by the way, this reminds me of “The Wall” not sure which song, but it does. We’re onto track two, “Skins” which is a lot of noises and drumming, mainly drumming. Lots and lots of it. No vocals yet. I do think that was maybe an opera vocal, but still somewhat doubtful, but it seriously just dropped and there is a lot of drumming and it’s pretty intense. We continue on to the track “Unsung” and there is some definite piano vibes here, with like that horror movie sound, but it’s really ambient, and then we hear a familiar sound, that train-like sound from ‘The Wall‘ – I still don’t know what song, but I’ll eventually remember when I review that album. The musicianship in this song is great, so far it’s my favorite for sure. That piano and what I can only believe is bass. That was almost as good as a Vangelis instrumental, you know what I mean? Then the trumpet comes in, and nope. Oh wait, maybe – it is getting better! That whole instrumental was a merger between “Unsung” and “Anisina” – whoa.
The C-Side opens with the very quiet and ambient track “The Lost Art of Conversation” which really just sounds like it could be one of those songs played in a spa or something like that. It’s a bit too quiet and has that Danny Elfman-esque type of sound to it, just not something I would enjoy honestly. “On Noodle Street” follows next, and what you would think could be a fun and interesting track is actually not, and it’s disappointing. Then comes “Night Light” and we’re greeted with yet another boring piece of ambient music, like I love ambient music, but this just seems so out of place for Pink Floyd, they’re supposed to be progressive rock. It has however began to pick up with the track “Allons-Y (1)” and it’s a great sound for them, pretty interesting when they actually have guitar playing and it actually having some sort of impact. We go on to get some wonderful organ playing on the track “Autumn ’68” which is a good thing, but that one buzzy sound isn’t good. The album does pick up once more with the song “Allons-Y (2)” and if it wasn’t for this three track mash-up, crossover thing, I’d probably not be awake right now. The B-Side concludes with the track “Talkin’ Hawkin’” and well, there is a lot, and I do mean a lot of really great guitar playing, it also features a little cameo by Stephen Hawking, funny how they used him in a song that features his name, and well guitar playing, Stephen Hawking, not so bad at all. We’re picking up some, y’all can thank Stephen Hawking. It was going so great until mild ambiance.
The D-Side, and end of the album opens with the track “Calling” and well, we’re back told ambiance, and well, relatively cool keyboarding and musicianship, it’s still not all that great. Mild pick-up once more, and still on the same track, and it’s a pick-up in the same song. What do you know? We carry on with the song “Eyes to Pearls” and it’s another mildly good track, not overly bad or good. Just average. Then the song “Surfacing” continues with this track-break-less side of the album, just with pick-up’s and stuff, and we’re back to that mildly familiar ‘Wall‘ sounding music once more. I miss when Pink Floyd had Syd Barrett and Roger Waters – that was the good stuff. Then we end the album with the track “Louder than Words” and it starts off with some good musicianship, and as I write this I seem to be making Robert De Niro type faces. So maybe this album is okay, or not. I don’t know, this song however has been pretty alright. Holy shit. There’s vocals! It’s not a bad track afterall, it’s the only decent song on this whole album, and it’s the only one with actual vocals, besides that one with Stephen Hawking – that was odd. But still, I want Roger Waters and Syd Barrett back.
Interesting Facts:
None.
Track Listing:
A1 – Things Left Unsaid
A2 – It’s What We Do
A3 – Ebb and Flow
B1 – Sum
B2 – Skins
B3 – Unsung
B4 – Anisina
C1 – The Lost Art of Conversation
C2 – On Noodle Street
C3 – Night Light
C4 – Allons-y (1)
C5 – Autumn ’68
C6 – Allons-y (2)
C7 – Talkin’ Hawkin’
D1 – Calling
D2 – Eyes to Pearls
D3 – Surfacing
D4 – Louder Than Words
Label:
Columbia Records
Catalog Number:
88875007881
Studio Musicians & Other Album Credits:
Guitar, E-Bow, Bass Guitar, E-Bow Guitar, Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Percussion, Effects, Vocals, Hammond Organ, Writer & producer – David Gilmour
Keyboards, Assistant Engineer & Mixing Assistant – Damon Iddins
Bass Guitar, Effects, Producer, Engineer & Mixing – Andy Jackson
Effects, Producer, Additional Engineering, Programming, Synthesizer & Keyboards – Youth
Recording Engineer – Phil Taylor
Additional Engineering, Programming, Synthesizer & Keyboards – Eddie Banda & Michael Rendall
Producer – Phil Manzanera
Art Director – Aubrey Powell
Design – Stylorouge
Cover Art – Ahmed Emad Eldin
Hammond Organ, Synthesizer, Keyboards, Strings, Electric Piano, Farfisa Organ, Piano, Fender Rhodes, Pipe Organ & Writer – Richard Wright
Drums, Rototoms, Gong, Percussion & Writer – Nick Mason
Keyboards & Bass Guitar – Bob Ezrin
Tenor Saxophone & Clarinet – Gilad Atzmon
Bass Guitar – Guy Pratt
Synthesizer & Percussion – Jon Carin
Backing Vocals – Durga McBroom
Sampling – Stephen Hawking
Backing Vocals – Louise Marshall & Sarah Brown
Strings – Escala, Helen Nash, Honor Watson, Victoria Lyon & Chantal Leverton
Writers – Anthony Moore & Polly Samson
Other Albums I Own by Pink Floyd:
“Animals”
“The Dark Side of the Moon”
“Relics”
“The Wall”
Released:
2014
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