Pink Floyd – The Endless River (2014)

A recent charity shop purchase (aren't they all) was this the final album from Pink Floyd (I assume they're now in the past tense), put together by Dave Gilmour and friends from unreleased keyboard pieces by the late (died in 2008) Richard Wright.

So, as you might expect, this is mostly instrumental, nominally 18 tracks, but in reality four pieces of mostly gentle, ambient music.

The first opens with an Enoesque soundscape which melds into a piece very reminiscent of the second half of Shine On You Crazy Diamond, while the second has a feel of late '70s / early '80s Tangerine Dream, all put together to use Wright's keyboard / piano / organ work.

The third piece is much more of a noodle, ending with a reprise (I think) of the Stephen Hawking piece from The Division Bell twenty years earlier.

The album ends with Louder Than Words, a strong song and the only vocal piece on the album, which isn't a bad way for the band to close their account.

The album stands up far better than I'd expected it to, the 65 minutes not dragging even if it doesn't always hold the attention. It definitely has the feel of Pink Floyd, even without Roger Waters, but nothing as exciting or groundbreaking as the mid 1970s giant albums. It just sound like you'd expect the band to sound like forty years later.

Link to full album

3* - A far more complete Floyd album that I was expecting.