THE DIVISION BELL

The Division Bell is an album that I bought solely because of High Hopes. It, along with What Do You Want From Me, were the only two tracks that I had heard prior to actually getting the album, and I figured that I should give it a try, as it is Pink Floyd's last album, at least until their new swan song for Richard Wright is released by the end of the year.

As much as I like Pink Floyd's melodies and instrumentals, I find many of the tracks on this album simply seem to wander. In the past, their instrumentals seemed to have more of a purpose and buildup, whereas on here they seem to have lost a bit of the inspiration. Some of the passages are still very beautiful, and I do enjoy them quite a bit, but on the whole, it does not compare favorably to Pink Floyd's earlier material.

Yet because of such highlights as High Hopes, which is one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs now, I feel compelled to really like this album, although I just quite can't enjoy all of it. High Hopes cannot carry the whole album for me. I wanted to give this album 4 stars, but I feel like it truly deserves closer to the 3 star category.