Saputello

"I believe that if this had been the debut album of a new band, someone would have cried miracle": Well, to this utterly simplistic thesis that I’ve probably heard about thirty times now, I don't even want to respond. However, what this album lacks, and more generally Gilmour as a composer, is the basic idea of the track. He doesn't know how to build a song starting from the foundation, but that foundation always needs to be sourced from somewhere. Now, at least "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" earned a passing grade because the foundations of the songs drew from the same tradition as Pink Floyd, but here the foundation often comes from a bland pop-rock constructed merely to pretend to be in line with the times. This is simple to understand: When one lacks compositional ideas, they obviously borrow them from elsewhere, and that's the reason why the riffs of Division Bell (how can you like a predictable song like "High Hopes"? Because it has Gilmour's voice and guitar? Probably that's the only reason, for fuck's sake) are felt and over-felt, masked by the usual arrangements of the same banality, amidst noises devoid of any MEANING (meaning is the main thing that’s lacking in Gilmour's songs), the usual slides and solos that haven’t changed in at least 20 years, and a refined and polished sound. There isn’t a single note out of place, as the reviewer says, and that’s the problem: every note is of extreme predictability; perhaps a note out of place could have been a sign of some originality that simply doesn't exist. "Take It Back"... with a chorus that couldn't be more banal. Making comparisons with Barrett is not done, no one really does it, because it’s impossible; we’re talking about two different bands. It’s definitely not through comparisons that this album gets torn apart; just considering it in its own right is enough to understand the banality it embodies. A perpetual déjà vu.

Easycure, you bring up the Beach Boys... who made Smile and Pet Sounds (and I won't mention the earlier ones because they suck)... which are nice and original albums... but let's not kid ourselves, they're not really that far above the Beatles. They're superior only in terms of the quality of the arrangements, but at their core, the songs of the Beach Boys don't carry greater weight.

Nice review, Elliott Smith is on my personal list of authors to discover soon.

To appreciate this album, you want to say that you have to set aside your brain practically. Embarrassing, worse than "A Momentary Lapse of Reason," worse than Gilmour's latest solo work.

Well, when I listen to prog, I'm not getting off on it. If we're talking about bands like Rush, King Crimson, Genesis, Robert Wyatt, etc., it seems to me that the quality of the ideas and the pieces is highlighted more than the technical skills. De gustibus non est sputandum :-)

Aside from the jokes, Nick, do you really think the rush is that terrible? Why? Maybe it's the voice?

I’m one of those who also likes the Pink Floyd's later period, but I have no trouble saying that this album doesn't have particularly original ideas, and there aren't many ideas to begin with. It really seems like a step down compared to Dark Side, Animals, and The Wall, as well as the earlier albums. I don’t understand how anyone could not notice that.

I don't know, but you're kind of silly, you know that 4 or 5 reviews would have come in the first week alone. Why this rush to review another Dream Theater album? Isn't there something new you could talk about? Maybe a less known band that has made more interesting music.

5-star review, especially if it's copied. Wasting time writing an original review about a group that is now worth as much as an expired cheese is for losers. And for the next ones that come, it's a dry one, like it’s Barcelona-Albinoleffe.

But what the fuck is that progarchives site, a forum of mentally challenged people? They give almost every album a 5/5 rating which according to their notation means: "Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music." A masterpiece of progressive music. It makes me want to curse, I want to curse, Josi, please, let me curse. I believe you that they are encouraged to keep writing shit music, after all there are always the usual handicapped people following them like little dogs on a leash.