Pink Floyd

The Division Bell

Great for just listening to, and great to dig deeper too.

Review Score:

(8/10)
Facts: This album is (as of 11/17/03) the last album released by Pink Floyd that can be said to contain substantial new material. This contains the songs "Take it Back" and "High Hopes". This features Pink Floyd's only Grammy winning piece--"Marooned". Roger Waters is not credited with any lyrics, nor does he perform with the band.

Opinions: There is a theme in The Division Bell. And the Publius Enigma mystery (redundant?) is proof of that. Do a search on any search engine with the words "Publius Enigma" and you'll see. And whether it was just a marketing gimmick will always be up for debate.

But the album. The lyrics are probably the deepest that David Gilmour has ever gotten. With a little help from his wife on most of the songs, he explores themes that the listener can only assume to be associated with Roger Waters, Syd Barrett, Humanity's humanity, environment, hopes, dreams, self-reflection, silence, isolation, and the hub of it all, COMMUNICATION.

If lyrics were tossed to the side, the tunes themselves are incredibly soothing to listen to. This is not the scathing Pink Floyd of Roger Waters that had built up The Wall or the "whatever the hell that was" that was A Momentary Lapse in Reason. This is Pink Floyd that can be considered "easy listening". This album is for those who may simply want to enjoy good tunes. This album is for those who also know something of the band's history and would like to dig deeper and find significance in every lyric. This album is for those who enjoy David Gilmour's guitar and voice. This album can easily be enjoyed if you have missed Richard Wright's piano keys as he seemed to be missing in action from Pink Floyd's catalog for approx. 10 years. This album features his vocals on one track that appropriately splits this album into halves.

So I lend my words for the reader's benefit in hopes that he or she looks into this album and enjoys exploring what's inside. Just don't be expecting progressive tunes like those found on Animals or the dark, murkiness of The Wall. Don't be expecting the mish/mash that was A Momentary Lapse in Reason. I may be in error here in the eyes of many, but come to this album expecting something closer to the days of creativity that went into Dark Side of the Moon.

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