Pink Floyd

The Division Bell

The bell never tolls for these giants of myth and metaphor

Review Score:

(10/10)
This is a reluctantly resonant pink floyd crawling out of the woodwork after a much berated "momentary lapse of reason". and after one hearing of this album, the listener is relieved that they are back.not because they have managed to stir up all the trademark trappings of delusion and pain that typified their earlier works but because there is a curiously new and glowing pulse to the division bell right from the surreal earth sounds that start the album rolling,all the way to the ineffable pull of the guitar passage at the end of the last track, "high hopes". water's absence from this cut is obvious as the songs and the lyrics do not spiral down stairways of cultivated depression. the band has positively aged,gilmours's voice is soothing and cuts through the complex,beautifully layered fabric of guitar work. the album chimes ambiently with thoughtful and precise musical arrangments and has a nice, dawn-like freshness to it.there are undertones of hope and light in the face of the
inevitable but approachable crux of disillusionment that follows communication break downs which incidentally is the album's theme. " i took a heavenly ride through our silence.."..wonderful lines from one of the high points in the album,"coming back to life", a track that never fails to move me. "what do you want from me" grows on you with its bluesy,grinding sound and so does the very graceful,airy "cluster one" that precedes this track. "maroonned" echoes feelings of isolation and despair, classic floyd signature? the album's strengths come alive in side two with a rush of energy and a febrile calm to "take it back".
note the classic instrumental opening on this song and the quiet elegance with which it seamlessly flows into "coming back to life" and of course the liberating drum and guitar interplay that takes the latter into orbit. "the only thing we need to do..is make sure we keep talking.." is the seemingly simplistic essence of "keep talking", once again falling back on the thematic peg on which the production's entire range of sound, sentiment and image hangs majestically. "hig hopes" puts a new spin on this undercurrent by eminently transforming the flashes of incident, human bafflement and subsequent reconciliation into a highy dramatic and almost operatic flow of feeling and musical intensity, the definitive post 80s floyd i would say.
the whole album shines through with a tenacity that seeks to explore new ground, revisit some familiar territory, address a few bones of contention and ultimately get a grip on what it means to meet and fall apart with people. very listenable, friends, give the post-waters floyd a break and discover some really good pieces, alive with a clarity they have tapped after ages.
listening tip: listen to this album while looking out at the changing colours of dawn.

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