Pink Floyd returned to the music scene this week by releasing "The Endless River" - a collection of 18 songs and billed as the group's last record. It has been nearly 20 years since the band has put out a new release, although this one is actually leftovers reworked and edited from "The Division Bell"(1994). That said, this new release is also minus Roger Waters and the late Rick Wright.



I'm a fan of classic Pink Floyd, but must admit I am a bit confused about what to make of "The Endless River." There are virtually no vocals on it, with the exception of Steven Hawking on Talkin' Hawkin' and the last song, Louder Than Words. The music itself is beautiful, on par with anything the group has ever done, but I'm missing the vocals that might make this release more complete and on the same level I associate Wish You Were Here, Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Another Brick in the Wall, and Money. To me, this new collection is way more ambient sounding than the classic Floyd I grew up with. And I really miss that group!

If you've heard the new album, what are your thoughts?

I haven't listened yet but a friend told me it is closer in spirit to their early 70s work like Meddle and Obscured By Clouds, which was often made up of long, meandering instrumentals. I will give it a listen soon.