Ahem. Hadn't quite realised that I - um - posted a bit more than others, but that the margin as measured in actual numbers of posts (between mine and others) would be quite so
striking.
Anyway, having bought Pink Floyd's latest (and presumably, going by their own promotional literature, last) album, I thought I'd offer a few thoughts about it, as I have been invited to do so on another thread, elsewhere, devoted to that particular topic.
The album itself has received mixed reviews, some clearly disappointed at the limited artistic vision and creative shortcomings, and yet others expressing themselves pleased while stressing that this album, although authentically obviously coming from the Pink Floyd stable, in no way ranks among those albums of theirs which have been rightly considered classics. Now normally, I would have been swayed by such commentary, but I rather like Pink Floyd, and - unless the reviews had panned it as something utterly beyond creative or musical redemption, I had already made up my mind to buy it.
Well, I'm old school about music. This means that I have never downloaded a track, and I don't use the Cloud. For one thing, I like to experience the physicality of albums and like the actual act of buying them in a shop and handing over cash (or cc) to do so. For another, I have data protection concerns, and for a third, I also have concerns over the model of ownership of music proposed by the cloud model where one becomes a renter of access, rather than someone - who once the act of purchase has been completed - is now the owner of that product. Thus, I bought a - the - CD in a bricks-and-mortar high street store.
Re the CD itself, which I have now listened to (and added to my MBA's iTunes), it is certainly very reminiscent of - and, more than a bit derivative of - some of the other, older albums (The Division Bell, clearly, but also some others).
However, to be honest, this does not matter terribly much to me. Indeed, the fact that this album sounds an awful lot like some of what they have done before is something which I find reassuring, and predictable, almost soothing; it means that I can have the album on in the background, as I write, and read, or sometimes pull some thoughts together.
In fact, and this may sound heretical (especially to those who revered what Pink Floyd were once upon a distant time, as indeed, I did myself) the very last thing I want from a venerable, respected (nay, revered in some quarters) and antique group is wild invention or - worse - something which goes by the name 'experimental' at this stage in their career. This is because it might not be credible any longer in artistic or creative terms. This is because when 'experimental' becomes 'self-indulgent' my tolerance and patience wear thin, and I wish to grind my teeth in frustration.
As an old fan of an old group, I want them to make music which reminds me of their other music; I want the reassuring sound of something which is somewhat familiar without it being identical to what they have done before - and, to be fair, that is what this album amply delivers.
More to the point, their creative output has been so limited these past few decades (unlike say, that of David Bowie, who has managed to musically evolve, stay relevant and sane, and intelligently creative for decades) that I would find it hard to believe in, or welcome, or 'willingly suspend my disbelief' in some offering which was marketed as breathtakingly new and stunningly original. And, listening to this album, I have a feeling that they came to the conclusion that this is what their 'target audience' now expects from them, a conclusion doubtless concurred with by their marketing advisors.
BTW, I purchased my Primaluna in 2005 from Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio. Ever heard of him?
