The Endless River, en attendant la sortie part 3 !

The Endless River – A Pink Floyd Tapas-try

I’ve listened to The Endless River, the new Pink Floyd album (never thought I would type that last bit again in my lifetime), nearly a dozen times and I really like it for what it is and then some and its shortcomings seem quite forgivable.

I’m certain that this album will be divisive, dividing fans with little compromise; they’ll either love it or hate it and the haters have a lot of ammo here. The Endless River is indeed an ambient, at times trippy, instrumental album featuring enough classic sounding Gilmour, Wright, and Mason to offer some tried-and-true familiarity to the four suites referred to as “sides.”

For the most part the individual tracks work well within each side but at first may feel like disconnected bits and pieces stitched together as four Frankensuites. This isn’t to say that they don’t work well together – they do, although they may not work together as well as their contemporaries like Atom Heart Mother, Echoes, and Shine On. These classic songs are all made up of bits and pieces and coalesce as a single, seamless composition. After the first few listens the ambient instrumental tracks on this record appear to come and go without purpose at times but the more familiar I become with this album the more their place and purpose in the sonic architecture becomes apparent.

The Endless River is a wonderful gift. It’s Pink Floyd strolling down memory lane offering instantly recognizable pieces of their history in both the sounds they’ve produced over the years and through some melodies as well. The Endless River is a musical tapestry which rewards fans with each successive listen. Now that I stopped paying attention to where each song (and side) begins and ends and have finally given into “go with the flow, wherever it goes” I’m able to enjoy it a lot more. And this doesn’t come off sounding like a bunch of Division Bell rejects at all. In fact, if the back-story of this album was not revealed I don’t think many people would have guessed that some of these tracks had their origins 20 years ago. From the sounds of Piper through The Wall, plus the more modern-day Floyd sounds of Division Bell, On An Island, and Broken China, the sonic history of the band is faithfully represented here. And Richard Wright does not merely contribute to this album but rather a featured musician who is offered the spotlight on numerous occasions. The production values are as good as one would expect from this band that has always been sonically at the top of its game.

Gilmour appears to be correct in stating that this music isn’t for the iTunes generation who tend to download select tracks rather than an entire album. This release has the potential to inspire that generation to plug in their headphones and light up to an entire album listening experience. And the 5.1 crowd should love this as well regardless of whether they like it or not as a Pink Floyd album.

Side One begins with Things Left Unsaid, a sonic collage and fitting prelude to this ambient album. Dialogue from all 3 band members is strategically placed amidst a wash of synthesizers which crescendo, crash, and subsequently mellow out. Rick gets time to slowly stretch out his trademark multi-layered keyboard sound before Gilmour joins in with a floaty electric and acoustic guitar. Quite spacey and ethereal at times, this track takes its time and sets the tone for the album. A successful lift-off.

The aptly titled second track, It’s What We Do, almost immediately shifts into synth mode featuring Rick’s instantly-recognizable keyboard sound from Shine On (Part I). When Nick and David finally join in the song really comes together (which at first reminded me of the title track from On An Island) and continues with that On An Island/Barn Jam vibe and Gilmour eventually gets to kick back with some wonderful blues licks. This track has a classic Floydian sound augmented by a modern production and at over 6 minutes in length I wish there were more songs like this on the record.

Ebb And Flow begins with Rick’s light multi-layered synths ping-ponging across the soundscape and Gilmour joins in with a very mellow guitar (I think both electric and acoustic). It’s a short 1½ minutes of music used to end the suite and is a pleasant track, almost an unspoken lullaby. Ambient noises take up the final 20 seconds of this song and I feel that the three songs on this “side” form a fairly cohesive suite and work better as a whole rather than pulling them apart dissecting them as individual songs as I just did.

Side Two kicks off with Sums which after a very short ambient intro similar to Cluster One quickly changes up with a keyboard sound reminiscent of the opening of Astronomy Domine (very exciting to hear this!). It’s repetitive, a bit hypnotic, and doesn’t prepare you for the crash of Gilmour’s guitar or the disco beat of Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) which follows. Gilmour, Wright, and Mason all have the opportunity to shine here and the track soars. The feel of the song reminds me a bit of the instrumental break from Keep Talking but this has more bite to it with a driving rhythm and once it takes flight it never looks back. A perfect wake-up call after being mellowed out by the previous track, an emotional balance found throughout this entire album.

Skins continues to feature Nick, this time in a repetitive drum pattern, a distant cousin from A Saucerful of Secrets but less abstract and once again leaning towards the tribal side. Nick is the focus of this track and he’s immersed in spacey keyboard and guitar washes. You gotta have balls to attempt stuff like this and these old guys have “a nice pair” indeed. This song, and its place on this record, reminds me of the percussive breaks during The Man & the Journey suites. The final 25 seconds or so are another generically spacey, ambient segue into the next track and luckily these guys are good at spacey, ambient segues.

Rick’s flurried synths are quickly answered by Gilmour’s familiar high-octave guitar tone in Unsung. A series of long dramatic piano and guitar chords follow almost suggesting that this could have been a lost piece from The Wall. It doesn’t really go anywhere other than the purpose of stitching 2 songs together. And at a fleeting 1:07 it surely serves that purpose well.

Most people have probably heard Anasina by now. It’s one of the songs that I felt could have benefitted from lyrics as well as the opportunity for a grand anthem of a chorus. Simple tunes and simple chord structures are perfect for anthems (they’re so easy for everyone to sing as well) and this could have been a real Floydian classic. This track sounds less like an ambient piece and more like a traditional song which would lend itself to having lyrics/vocals. Despite this, I still really love everything about it, a great track to end the second suite and Gilmour’s final solo is a wowzer! One of my favorite tracks on the album. A bit of thunder and rain and Side Two is over as is half of the new album.

Side Three features 7 tracks, almost doubling the number of songs on most of the other suites. The beginning of The Lost Art Of Conversation reminds me of a Richard Wright instrumental from Broken China (don’t ask me which one) followed by a lovely jazz-influenced classic piano piece floating above a bed of synths. I’ve always enjoyed listening to Rick playing piano and this is a brief unexpected treat (which is closer to Zabriskie Point’s “Love Theme” than “Us & Them”) seamlessly segues into the next song. It’s a perfect set-up for the next track and for the third suite as a whole.

On Noodle Street features a backbeat including bass (reminding me of Brick 1 this time) and drums but doesn’t go seem anywhere and for a second or two I almost expected a vocal track. A smoky-bluesy-spacey brief mini jam equally featuring keyboards and guitars that sachets by in under 2 minutes. Another track that works much better within the context of the “side” rather than under individual scrutiny.

The start of Night Light reminds me of the opening guitar sound of Keep Talking (which also bookends the piece) but the song quickly peters down to more synth washes and some guitar musings from Gilmour. Slow and a bit heavy handed this song compliments the previous track. In fact the first three tracks form one of the most cohesive listening experiences within the context of this suite and album.

Allons-y (Part 1) is another welcome departure from the mellow, ambient tracks and I’m thankful that each side has a break-out track like this. Featuring a rhythm guitar recalling Run Like Hell, it’s an upbeat showcase for Gilmour who is able to cut loose again. The track reminds me of the same type of instrumental David played on SNL back in the day and is another highlight of the album.

And speaking of highlights, when Allons-y transitions into Autumn ’68 it’s another one of those sublime moments of genius. I love that this bit of Rick playing on the Royal Festival Hall organ was included here and it stands on its own for the most part, nearly overdub free (Gilmour does add some acoustic guitar playing towards the end). It fits right in with the sound of the modern production and doesn’t appear to be dated in any way. I wish that more was included but I’m still ecstatic to have this included at all. And with another wash of synths the backbeat returns us to Allons-y (Part 2) which in retrospect seems like a single song with Rick’s organ solo serving as a bridge.

Talkin’ Hawkin’ is the last song of the 7-song cycle of the 3rd suite and once again slows things down which starts out as another dramatic blues number (in ¾ time) with backing vocals (love the “ah’s”). I enjoyed this so much that I wish it played out a bit longer before Stephen Hawking’s familiar voice is heard in a short monologue which ends by reprising his vocal contribution to Keep Talking. A dramatic piece that ends with a 30-second ambient drift-off to conclude Side Three (I personally would have preferred a big finish with a clean cut to another ambient drift-off). This is one of the “sides” that didn’t seem as cohesive as it does now that I’ve listened to it a few more times.

Side Four, the final suite, begins with panning electronic pulses but the Calling soon kicks into heavy mode, or at least attempts to. This is another piece where certain parts remind me of one of the instrumental tracks from Broken China and I recognized a sound effect from Welcome to the Machine quickly fly by. As an individual composition this seems to simply hang around for 3 ½ minutes and at times could pass for inclusion on Bowie’s “Low” album. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid track and serves as a nice intro to the final suite but nothing more, another song which works best in context with the songs which follow it.

Eyes To Pearls begins with the all-too-familiar guitar pattern of Set The Controls that can be designated as an homage or a rip-off of the original (I prefer homage and wonder how Roger would feel about this). Even Nick’s drumming is a tribute to that classic Floyd track and one can almost sing the words of Set The Controls over it. But that’s all it offers. While the original is a dynamic marvel spaced-out marvel this track offers nothing more than an echo of its mantra which I guess was its purpose. Regardless of the similarities I still like it and it works well within the context of the suite and the album, an observation I seem to be continuously repeating.

The opening acoustic guitar of Surfacing recalls Poles Apart but this changes as soon as the song kicks into gear. This is another welcome upbeat change from some of the more solemn, ambient numbers featuring Mason on drums, a bed of synths from Rick, and more signature guitar work from David. I love moments like this where David is afforded the opportunity to cut loose.

The sound of church bells (from Fat Old Sun) leads to the final track that we’re all more than familiar with by now, Louder Than Words, which serves as a perfect conclusion to this side and to the album as a whole. I really like this song a lot (even Polly’s lyrics) but in context it makes me feel like a couple of other songs could have had lyrics as well. That’s one of my minor criticisms, I feel that additional lyrics could have been written for at least one or two other tracks besides Louder Than Words and the album may have been better by doing so.

Dissecting the album like this in the form of the written word will do little to prepare you for the actual listening experience. It’s kind of like explaining colors to a blind person.

There are many things that this record was not meant to be and this was not meant to be classic Pink Floyd album, nor was reaching for a bar like that ever considered. It’s new and familiar at the same time because so much of it sounds like Floyd. The weakest link after initial listens seems to question the choice of architecture of this album but slowly becomes clearer with each successive listen.

I personally like the album more with each spin and I know that it will grow on me even more over time because I already love it. I’m not sure how I feel about this being the final Pink Floyd record, especially considering the chronological significance, but I do like it a lot as a Pink Floyd album. And this is most definitely a Pink Floyd album despite what its detractors might say. The Endless River is an homage to all things Floyd which ended up exceeding my wary expectations and for this I am very grateful.