THE DIVISION BELL

After a six year silence, only interrupted by a sub-par live album but aptly called Delicate Sounds Of Thunder (their thunder was certainly not powerful on stage as shown in that double "thing") and some soundtrack in the Carrera Panamericana they'd participated in, it was Radio Silence from them. And then came the early 93 Britannia Row (their studio, built before Animals) sessions and this last effort (most likely this will be the last "real" Floyd album has Gilmour has shown little interest in reviving the group since their Live 8 reunion. Coming with another superb Thorgerson artwork, with those two head statues making only one face representing the album's theme (this too light to call it a concept) of a dialogue between the two parts of the face. All this sounds like the former greatness of Floyd will likely return, but alas, this is doesn't last a close analysis of the album. First, the fact that they needed a vast amount of guest beyond the understandable Pratt on bass and the return of Parry on sax: Carin & Ezrin on keys, Renwick on Guitar, Wallis on drums & percs?. Did they really need that??

Unfortunately TDB has not survived the test of time after the initial enthusiasm of fans, critics and casuals alike had shown. While somewhat better than AMLOR (which was little more than an uninspired Gilmour solo album ala About Face), TDB benefits from the superb would-be titled track High Hopes (which indeed does just that, raise our hopes ? a bit too much) and two good instrumentals, but for the rest of the album, the improvement is slightly more than a marginal one, despite the return of Rick Wright in the songwriting dept. He and Gilmour share the credits on five tracks and he signs one on his own, on which he sings lead vocals, but the partnership, while hitting the spot sporadically, didn't return to their former greatness. Gilmour (and Wright) has again delegated most of the lyrics to an outsider, this time his new wife, and was not well-advised. I'm sure a certain ex-member (no names, please) would've loved to do it and done a fantastic job.

TDB opens with a correct 6-mins instrumental intro Cluster One of the album, which is reminiscent of the AMLOR opener, which indeed waters (pun not intended at first) the mouth with Mason's tape effects and a Gilmourian guitar solo hinting at Shine On You's intro. This segues directly to a very average What Do You Want From Me, a track stylistically close to AMLOR's general soundscape and is little more than a standard chorus-verse formatted song, which will happen a few more times throughout this album, notably on the near-atrocious U2-esque Take It Back or the promising intro of Coming Back To Life, which sounds like it's coming from The Wall's side B but marred by a boring beat. However there are some more Floydian-sounding tracks like the 7-mins Poles Apart with an interesting middle section. Unfortunately, A Great Day For Freedom is a relatively wheezy and over sentimental track that could've used a kick in the arse to wake up, despite correct lyrics about Eastern Europe's then-newly found freedom. Rick Wright's Wearing The Inside Out is a welcome change from Gilmour writing paw, but I wouldn't call it an album highlight, displaying too much fragility, lacking energy and overstaying its welcome by a full two minutes. But its main merit is to bring back some more classic Floyd soundscapes, but that track is a good preview of Rick's upcoming solo album Broken China.

Elsewhere, Keep Talking has an interesting Wrightian touch (sonically close to Wearing The Inside Out), and his inspired choice of keyboards certainly hit the spot as do the Gilmour's guitar parts and Mason's finally inspired drumming. Even if The Wall was not Gilmour's oeuvre, tracks like Lost For Words or Coming Back To Life sound much like the few tracks he did contribute. So far, I haven't been very positive with this album, but let's face it, only one third stands out, another third is average, and the last third is sub-par; but I am saving the good stuff for last. Just like the opening instrumental, Marooned is another instant hit with nostalgic Floydheads, and indeed the alchemy between Wright's aerial keyboards and Gilmour's slide guitar dies hit the spot almost as if the classic 70's are just around the bend. And then we're left with the closing mini-epic High Hopes, which will unknowingly become Floyd's superb finale to Floyd's legacy. In many ways, this track recalls in many ways Comfortably Numb, with Gilmour's finally inspired singing, even if much of the magic comes from that delicious bell tolling sound, but Floyd does everything right here and have not been this close to perfection since The Wall.

Indeed, Floyd's overall oeuvre does find a near-semblance of legitimacy, because three of the four actors are present, but unfortunately their stronger quarter is direly and dearly missing them. But if it wasn't for this album's outstanding High Hopes finale and two instrumentals restoring the magic of their classic era, I'm not sure that this album will stand the test of time, as nearly a decade has gone by, and I view this album very differently from my original enthusiastic reception. Generally this album is over-rated, especially by those that a bit blindly are wishing Floyd's return to greatness.

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