Pink Floyd is unarguably one of the most impactful bands in the history of music, and the band has been cited as an influence by other famous musical artists, such as The Smashing Pumpkins and David Bowie. Pink Floyd is one of my favorite bands, both because of their importance to music as well as their otherworldly sound, comprised of a divine combination of riveting guitar solos and ethereal distorted noises.

Released on November 10^th, The Endless River was written in the years 1993 and 1994 and will be the last Pink Floyd album. The album, highly anticipated due to its title being released in a tweet by a Pink Floyd lyricist, received mixed reviews by critics. The Rolling Stone calls the album, “an unexpected, welcome epitaph.” A contrasting review by the Los Angeles Times calls The Endless River “…excruciatingly dull…”

I found The Endless River to be sleepy and calming, yet inspiring in a way that only a Pink Floyd album can be. The first track, “Things Left Unsaid,” is slow and dreamy, a trend followed by the rest of the album. The track begins with a beat reminiscent of a Dark Side of the Moon track, “Time.” Like most Pink Floyd songs, this track is long, but every second is worth listening to because the beat, though repetitive, is addictive. It lulls me into a state of relaxation that I’ve come to expect and appreciate from Pink Floyd.

One track that stands out to me in particular is “Ebb and Flow.” This particular song contains vocals and guitar riffs that sound more classically Pink Floyd, as if they’d be found on The Wall. It is a nice break from the songs that precede it that, though enjoyable, seem to blend together into one because of their similarity.

A track that I particularly dislike is “Nervana.”Though a long, repetitive beat within a Pink Floyd song is usually a welcome phenomenon, in the case of “Nervana”, I just couldn’t get into it. “Nervana” is the same uninspired riff for about five minutes, after which some sound variation is added. I personally enjoy a building intensity to songs, but something about this track is just missing. “Nervana” lacks the cacophony of melodies that usually collide together to form a Pink Floyd song. However, “Nervana” might be enjoyable to those that enjoy entirely guitar-driven music.

Though overall I enjoy The Endless River, I cannot say that it is Pink Floyd’s best album. Because many of the songs sound so similar, the tracks begin to run together. Little about the album is memorable. A few tracks stand out, such as “Sum”, but mostly, the album sounds mostly like something you’d hear in an elevator or at a dentist’s office.

However, I enjoy the change that The Endless River brings to current music. Amid the new indie releases and top 40 hits, The Endless River stands out in that it sounds like going back in time, and I do believe that it is a good farewell album for one of my favorite bands. Overall, I enjoy listening to The Endless River, but if I’m in the mood to listen to Pink Floyd, I’ll probably reach for Animals before this album.