The slow melodious instrumental overture that announces "Cluster One" trumpets the return of one of rock's most enigmatic ensembles; art rockers supreme--Pink Floyd. And in reclaiming centre stage in the arena, THE DIVISION BELL straightaway tolls a characteristic chime of ambivalence, as a voice cries out from the heart of a massed chorale and strings, "What Do You Want From Me".
But for long time fans of Pink Floyd, THE DIVISION BELL offers an immense, reassuring sense of scale, as David Gilmour and company continue to expand upon the dark subtexts, rich orchestral textures and densely detailed arrangements that are the band's psychic and sonic signatures. A song such as the moody film noire jazz-pop intro of "Wearing The Inside Out" suggests the mysterious futuristic romanticism of the BLADE RUNNER soundtrack (or vice versa), with lyrics that offer a typically mordant view of life: the outcast in the centre of his (or her) self-destructed world, striving for peace and redemption.
And somewhere in the heart of all this darkness, David Gilmour's arching, anthemic guitar provides a powerful melodic focus, especially when he can provide all the "vocal" intensity himself, as on the moody instrumental tone poem "Marooned", where he seems to be floating out of Earth orbit until Nick Mason's strong, centred drumming grounds his elisions in the gravitational pull of a simple backbeat. The closing "High Hopes" mixes mysticism with a dream-the-impossible groove, as Pink Floyd looks back longingly at old times and old friends. THE DIVISION BELL was nominated for Best Engineered Album.

1. Cluster One
2. What Do You Want From Me
3. Poles Apart
4. Marooned
5. Great Day For Freedom
6. Wearing The Inside Out
7. Take It Back
8. Coming Back To Life
9. Keep Talking
10. Lost For Words
11. High Hopes