A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: "Signs of Life" is NOT a "Shine On wannabe". I think that this, with "Sorrow", is the high point of the album, and the best hauntingly beautiful intro The Floyd has done besides "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" itself.

"Learning To Fly" is an upbeat pop-rock tune. Pleasant, with a good Gilmour solo, but not the best song to be found here.

"Dogs of War" is dark, tense, and aggressive, with yet another great Gilmour solo, though I sometimes skip this as it takes a while to get winded up.

I love the way "One Slip" begins, as well as its simple but driving beat.It's also got a catchy little bass riff after the chorus.

"On The Turning Away" may same a bit corny at first, but it's a great ballad to lighten the mood after the last two songs. However, it's that somehow very poignant change from major to minor during the monstrous solo which completes the package.

The next half starts with the dark "Yet Another Movie". By now, you've noticed that this was absolutely made in 1986, but you shouldn't let that deter you. Heavy bass and synth effects open this song, but beyond that, this is nothing new; I have to admit this is the weak one. "Round and Around" is an interesting little synth/guitar ditty tacked on the end of "Movie", providing an interesting change of pace.

A lot of people love to hate the two part "A New Machine", sung á cappella by Gilmour with a very light sound effect going with his voice. I see these as tension builders, draping you in an unsettling to prepare you for the final piece...(and they're short, too, it's not like they're 36 minutes of voices!)

"Terminal Frost" is the second instrumental (not counting "Round and Around"), and is more lead back than the rest of the material, easing the aforementioned tension one last time. Despite its slower nature (or rather, because of it), it's fully enjoyable. As the guitar and saxophone also play off each other's fade-ins and fade-outs. You can even hear some distorted voices in the background.

The second part of "Machine" is about a third as long, but again, is a good tension- builder for "Sorrow". This time, you can't escape it. It's coming...

Probably one of the best Floyd closers (that's saying something!), this has been panned for being boring and uninspired. After listening to the rest of the album, though, it's not that bad, now is it? The growling guitar intro is excellent, and matches "Signs of Life", giving the album a sense of oneness and continuity. The rest is a heavy track based on a (once again) simple but powerful beat to which Gilmour delivers some of his best lyrics. This monster slowly dies out with another extended solo from Gilmour.

As reviewer Layne stated, the whole is in fact better than the sum of the parts. Though not as direct in meaning or message as, say, Rush's Signals, is a great comeback with a broad range of emotions. It certainly better than most give it credit for.

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