New Pink Floyd Album 'The Endless River'

[UsNotThem]

Just to steer away from the current discussion, but I just wanted to say I really like the sound of Anisina.

I can't wait to hear it in the context of the album!

[Hudini]

I'm getting used to it. Despite the fact what some people on this board think, Pink Floyd has been my favorite band for decades and even if they farted in a can and recorded it on a wax cylinder I'd still be looking for reasons to like what they put out.

It definitely sounds way, way better on 5.1 than on 2.0, I must say. It really feels smoother and more nuanced. And that's still only a radio recording.

My mind is wandering. Almost makes me regret that my first impression was a disappointment.

I have the song on repeat for at least half an hour now. The night is young and I've dimmed the lights, cranked the volume up and I'm just starting a four-pack of nice cold Stella Artois. Practicing for the grand opening, I guess.

Cheers, everyone.

[Flathead]

OMG....

Anisan is horrible. Not the melody, or the playing, but the tone of the entire thing. It sounds horribly, horribly dated. The instruments sound cheap. Pink Floyd, despite songwriting quality, has always had cutting edge sonics.

This sounds like an onboard keyboard workstation demo. Thesax sounds like KennyG.

This would be a decent number if David had hired a MODERN producer with an ear for tone.

This song sounds exactly like what it is: a song crafted by people who haven't made albums on a regular basis for 30 years. It also sounds like a song executed by artists who live in a complete bubble, who no longer challenge themselves with listening to new music or exploring new sounds.

This track is a total and complete embarrassment to the Pink Floyd name.

[Flathead]

The production on the released tracks so far is clear, but extremely dry, and extremely cold. It lacks the analog warmth of their 70's productions and the instruments wind up almost sounding midi at times.

Could not agree more. "Midi"" is a great way to describe it. No matter what one thinks of the songs, the Floyd always had amazing production. It appears that David and Nick have completely lost this skill (and Manzanara, who should take equl blame, IMHO).

at this point, one needs to engage in ego-release and hire a younger producer who still has a grasp on the Pink Floyd sound. An artist interested in challenging himself and growing would not hire a long time friend in his 60's to produce the album, but rather younger phenoms who have upated the Pink Floyd sound, and continue to do so. Two top choices would be Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips ad Athony Gonzalez of M83.

Listen to this very Floydy track from 7 Skies H3 by the Lips. Pay attention to how the piano and effects sound, then compare it to the brittle midi sound of what we've heard from TER:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnGf0yc3Njw

That, right there, is the warm 70's Floyd production. It sounds organic, alive, not crystalline and brittle like your everyday cheap studio session. It seems Gilmour's entire life is based around not being uncomfortable for even the slightest moment, and the music we've heard from TER reveals this sludgy complacency.

BTW, the cd version of 7 Skies H3 is a real joy, and I highly recommend it to Floyd fans. It's exactly what Floyd would have done, IMHO, had Waters and Gilmour not lost the plot after The Wall, and focused on the pioneering Syd sound with the Meddle sound.

[Hadrian]

It is now Nick's turn with The Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/featu ... r-20141031)

[twcc]

It is now Nick's turn with The Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/featu ... r-20141031)

Interesting responses, you always have to read between the lines when Nick is talking

[hypermikem]

pre·ten·tious
adjective \pri-ˈten(t)-shəs\

: having or showing the unpleasant quality of people who want to be regarded as more impressive, successful, or important than they really are
Full Definition of PRETENTIOUS
1
: characterized by pretension: as
a : making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing) <the pretentious fraud who assumes a love of culture that is alien to him — Richard Watts>
b : expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature <pretentious language> <pretentious houses>
2
: making demands on one's skill, ability, or means : ambitious <the pretentious daring of the Green Mountain Boys in crossing the lake — American Guide Series: Vermont>

[kjek1]

Well, we all have our opinions, and I'm not trying to persuade anyone mine is universal. I don't disdain anyone for having a different opinion, so I believe I have the right to a subjective comment as well.

I'm not judging the whole album by what I've heard by now, but I must state that I liked the unpolished demos more than what I'm hearing as a finished product. I don't have a problem with people liking the album, in fact I'll be getting it myself, but my expectations get lower with every new song I hear.

I still hope the album will end up to be more than just a sum of its parts.

But...

What are the chance the sound and mix experts on here are actually sound engineers?

You see, I have a problem with this kind of attitude. So, just because I'm not a sound engineer I'm not entitled to a musical taste or what? Sorry, but that's a very poor argument.

Last time I checked, freedom of thought was a basic human right. I could be wrong though. :shrug:

I think given that the mix sounds fine and it's from a radio recording your really reaching for something to be critical of, that's all. How you can make that judgement based off of that is beyond me. And all I'll say is, given the vast number of years they've spent of professional recording artists, I'm sure they know what they're doing.

[kjek1]

What are the chance the sound and mix experts on here are actually sound engineers? Something tells me those chances are slim.

By that logic I would also need to be a composer of opera in order to dislike opera. Very flawed argument.

The production on the released tracks so far is clear, but extremely dry, and extremely cold. It lacks the analog warmth of their 70's productions and the instruments wind up almost sounding midi at times. On the musical side of things, my worry with this album after hearing what's been released is that there are no memorable melodies. On this newest instrumental, you basically have a chord progression with no melody to carry it through. Something like that might work as the background music to a movie but for my active listening, after hearing it 5 times the only part that really stands out as memorable is the piano part (which is unfortunately buried in the mix).

See my last post.

Sorry if this offends anyone, but going on Floyd forum's I can easily see why so many people find Floyd fans pretentious. Whether it's intentional or not that vibe is strong.

[Flathead]

why are you so hung up on the fans? This thread is about the new album.

[mastaflatch]

Alright, after a few more listens, I love this. Still not a fan of this kind of saxophone playing but it's heartfelt and it sounds pretty good for a radio recording. As far as Gilmour-era instrumentals go, I'd rank this above Marooned. It reminds me a bit of Wet Dream too.
I love this band.

[kjek1]

why are you so hung up on the fans? This thread is about the new album.

Because the fans are peddling a hell of a lot of nonsense on it?

[hypermikem]

why are you so hung up on the fans? This thread is about the new album.

Because the fans are peddling a hell of a lot of nonsense on it?

A lot of pretentious nonsense at that. It's one thing to have your opinion. Great, everyone's got one and feel free to express it, but when people start claiming that they know better than Pink Floyd and Co. what constitutes the "Floyd Sound" and to declare that The Floyd has lost their skills and all would be right if they would have just listened and tapped producers of another band that is "More Floyd" than Pink Floyd is just laughable. All credibility goes right out the window at that point and that must be recognized as more of a trolling than anything. Not to be taken seriously for sure. There are always a few of those on every forum.

After listening to the full 10 minute interview on this album and how it came to be and exactly whom this album is aimed at and what it is about, I'm looking forward to it more than ever now. Time to start planning a listening BBQ with the buds. Pun optional. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pink-Floyd/e/B0 ... turl-gb-21

[Flathead]

but when people start claiming that they know better than Pink Floyd and Co. what constitutes the "Floyd Sound" and to declare that The Floyd has lost their skills and all would be right if they would have just listened and tapped producers of another band that is "More Floyd" than Pink Floyd is just laughable. All credibility goes right out the window at that point and that must be recognized as more of a trolling than anything. Not to be taken seriously for sure. There are always a few of those on every forum.

So far, the feedback to the songs and snippets has been especially harsh on the production (see the hundreds of Facebook comments about corporate training videos or car commercials).

What I've heard sounds nothing like Pink Floyd, but rather soft, inoffensive elevator music. It's quite common for older acts who do not consistently release new music or challenge themselves annually by exploring the latest bands to lose their ear. Often, these acts will hire younger producers to bring some edge back. So it's fair to make comparisons to other, newer acts and/or producers.

After listening to the full 10 minute interview on this album and how it came to be and exactly whom this album is aimed at and what it is about

Why does an album need to be rationalized this way? Good music is good music, and needs no explanation.

[Hadrian]

Anisina sounds to me like a sonic companion to Big Theme from La Carrera Panamericana (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RGhHjXdivg), not surprised when Nick said in that interview that there was a soundtrack consideration for TER music at one point. It is a shame they never released La Carrera Panamericana soundtrack, they had one album side worth of music right there. By the way, is that musical theme at the end of Anisina the same as the one at the end of Louder Than Words? If it is, there goes the TER album audio motif.