ANIMALS

Like you're going to bother to take the time to read another five-star review for this album. I'll tell you up front, everything you've heard from everyone else is true: this album is excellent, one of the best in Pink Floyd's catalogue, and frankly, my favourite as well. By all means this shouldn't be true. The compositions are longer and more drawn-out than usual Floyd from this era, and sometimes the pieces get caught up in themselves and seem to move nowhere. And yet, rather than bogging the album down, this only serves to heighten the message of the pieces and make the album even more enjoyable to listen to. "Pigs on the Wing" is a great, uplifting bookender to an otherwise dark and dreary album, drawing inspiration from Orwell's Animal Farm to describe our roles in society. "Dogs" has the honour of being one of my favourite songs ever written. The combination of downtempo, minimalistic guitar and powerful vocal work creates an atmosphere unlike any I've heard before. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" and "Sheep" are both harder rockers, and amongst the best in Floyd's catalogue. "Sheep" especially strikes me as a strong piece, leaving me wanting even more at the end of its meager 10-and-a-half minute running time. All in all, this is another excellent Pink Floyd album, and a masterpiece of progressive rock.