THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

As a relative newcomer to the overall progressive music/rock scene, I think it's fitting and fair to submit my first review to ProgArchives on the first album that got me into progressive rock. Pink Floyd is such an accessible band to dip your toes into that you eventually sink towards the bottom of ocean and still want to go deeper. The music is powerful, emotional, exciting, and well-connected to it themes. As for the themes of this album, it is as universal as it could get; you could listen to the record a first few times to get a general understanding of the album and automatically fall in love with it, then you will want to learn more about it, searching to analytical videos about it and falling in love with it even more, making you appreciated this album a whole lot more for introducing you to the rest of your life. I don't think the themes need an introduction, so I'll just review how the music made an impact on me.

Speak to Me - If you listened to this track not knowing about overtures in rock music and seamless transitions, this track will definitely be overlooked. But give it a few more tries and you'll start to see the subtle beauty of this track. Also, to me, the helicopter sounds a lot like machine guns mixed with the screaming of Clare Torry, which made the track a whole lot more foreboding (a solid plus)

Breathe - People always say they like to get high while listening to Pink Floyd, labeling them as a psychedelic band. While it is true that this track does have some psychedelic elements, the subject matter couldn't be farther from the dope. The soothing psychedelic sound mixed with the theme of reflecting on your current life status as you take a brief reprieve from it.

On the Run - The seamless transition between Breathe and On the Run is not only tense, but understandable as you are suddenly forced back up on your feet and work your ass off for the mind that keeps telling you that there are these intangible expectations that society expects you to follow, and you do, but you don't wanna do it, but you have too. The progressive electronica in this is so dark and quietly exciting that you are entranced with Nick Mason's drumming and rest of the bands electric sounds. This all leads up to the most emotional Pink Floyd song of all time.

Time - This was at one point my favorite Pink Floyd song of all time. It was even my favorite song of all time, period. Now, as I listened to more songs from the band and other bands, it still makes me emotional, just as the first time I heard it did. David Gilmour's guitar work, combined with his and Wright's vocals, make this track my favorite one of the album. The solo is arguably one of the best solos of all time, even surpassing Gilmour's other one in Comfortably Numb. But what makes this track emotional for me is the theme of working you ass off all day and spending your brief reprieve from life just killing time, and I know I'm not alone in this. All of those times where I could be doing something creative, I'm just wasting it on fluff and recuperating from the world around me, not leaving any time to discover my talents and ultimately end up regretting my lack of action. Still, the reprise of Breathe still gives me hope that I will discover new things and maybe possibly resting for the with a smile on my face beside the fireplace.

The Great Gig in the Sky - While Time was enjoyably emotional, this track is solemnly emotional. The concept of death and dying is not an easy theme to pull off with a serious face. But Wright's "Mortality Sequence" is not only unmatched, but entirely poignant. And the climax is just cathartic and just crying for understanding, telling you that death is scary and lots of people will cry at your funeral and you will be crying to when you meet your maker. The first spoken portion before the climax tells you that when it's time to go, you can go; you don't have to be happy about it, and you can cry. But after the climax, when Torry says "I never said I was afraid of dying," you start to smile again in peace and are ready to let go. You continue on with your hard-knock life, thinking that "Maybe death ain't so bad after all."

Money - The hardest rock song on the album, as well as my least favorite. It's still very good, especially the climax with the saxophone where people are just jacking it in Wall Street, not knowing it'll all come crashing just like their cocaine addiction. Of course everybody knows that money can cause corruption and capitalism can allow corporations to abuse the free market by exploiting small businesses and artists to make more money for them without doing jack shit, so it left the least amount of impact on me personally. It's still a good song to rock out on the radio, unlike their next song.

Us and Them - This is the song that just screams psychedelia, but it couldn't be further from the truth. But what the normies don't know is that it's actually a jazz fusion. The soothing jazz of reflection mixed with the sudden burst of realization makes this fusion all the more impactful; all of the opposites of the world, clashing on a daily basis, and for what? Superiority? Understanding? Progress? War and racism is bad, sure. But what about exploitation and misunderstanding? If we had more of those in the world, people would be much happier with their choices and amount of confidence in their outlook.

Any Color You Like - This is my favorite instrumental track of the album. The psychedelic sounds remind me a lot of the sounds from Splatoon (I don't know if anyone noticed that). But besides that, it's actually a very trippy song, and I just recently found out what this song is about; an amalgamation of awesome choices mixed into a soup that might look tasty, but it sheds light on how many there are, leading you to lose your mind back to the insanity of the real world.

Brain Damage - This is the penultimate track and shows you the effects of the carcinogens of society that causes insanity, but in a light hearted way. The first time I learned about Syd Barrett, I was touched that such a band had a dedication to continue his legacy through the this album and Wish You Were Here. From psychedelic to progressive, it makes me appreciate this band way more.

Eclipse - The final conclusion of every theme, all being shadowed by the moon, leaving them in darkness. But among the bleakness, hopelessness, and frustration, you get a view of light around the moon, how beautiful it is that light still come in around the darkness, and still reaches you. All the problems of the world are still there, but at least the light of optimism is still there to guide you. And as the album finishes off, background sounds can be heard, meaning that life still goes on in the studio, ready to record the next album.

Final thoughts: I'm glad this album is the best album, according to a lot of people, and I'm glad I'm still young so that I can enjoy listening to more progressive music, both new and old. Thank you Pink Floyd, for introducing me to prog rock. Since 2018 and 17 years old. Also, I have to thank this YouTuber, Emplemon, for introducing me to prog rock through his Frying Nemo Youtube Poops, especially Deep Frying Nemo and Pink Floyd