by Jules Gonsoulin
arts & life editor
For the first time in 20 years, fans of the historic, psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd have been graced with new music. Frontman David Gilmore’s wife leaked the news of a new album earlier this year, and the album was officially released on Tuesday, Nov. 11. It is essentially a swan song for former keyboardist and band founder, Richard Wright, who died in 2008. While the album was met with mixed reviews, I found it to be a tasteful revisit to Pink Floyd’s more ambient and psychedelic sounds, not heard since The Dark Side of the Moon.
It is not just one song that de
fines the tone of the album, such as the effect “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” has on the album, Wish You Were Here. This is the kind of ablum you will really need to listen to the entire album straight through. Shuffling through this album does not do it justice because the beauty of the songs is in the continuous sounds that link the songs together. Therefore, treat the album as one, hour long song.
What may come as a surprise fans of typically popular Pink Floyd songs such as “Money”, “Another Brick in the Wall” and “Comfortably Numb”, is that only one song on the album features vocals: “Louder than Words.” The album features elements from every era of Pink Floyd’s existence. It has muted guitar riffs, as heard on The Wall, freaky keyboard solos from The Dark Side of the Moon, and most importantly, plenty of tasteful allusions to The Division Bell, such as the ringing of bells and the talking computer voice.
The album was actually produced in 1994 and was meant to be included on The Division Bell. Instead, it was cut and reproduced this year by David Gilmore. As a longtime fan of Pink Floyd, I really enjoy this album. I appreciate it for its attention to the band’s past. It sounds like classic Pink Floyd. I would have liked to hear more vocals, but the beauty of Pink Floyd’s music is that it features a wide range of instruments that truly speak for themselves. Instrumental music is generally open for interpretation, so it is fitting that the band’s final song featuring vocals is titled “Louder than Words.”