ANIMALS

My guitar teacher told me this LP was one of PF's best. Man, he wasn't wrong. AT ALL. "Animals" is a stunner of an album. Musically speaking, it sounds emptier and bleaker than the previous releases, with Roger Waters commanding the whole thing. But that's just an impression. From its very beginning to the end, Animals can blow anyone's mind. I may not agree too much with the classification of humans and maybe part of the message, but the album's still one of the best I've ever listened to. The songs are quite dark and cynical, and Waters is gifted for lyrics indeed. The best example are the super-lenghty songs (Dogs, for example), where he bashes against some types of people like greedy ones, fat-cats of the bussiness companies, mindless masses, etc. Musically speaking, the ultra-psychedelical synths you can find in DSOTM and WYWH are dead, Rick Wright's keyboards are now haunting and even scary, and sounds of animals and digitally altered voices appear throughout the album. There are a lot, I mean, A LOT of David Gilmour's mind-blowing solos to enjoy, and Waters' bass is really groovy and impressive, raging, sometimes even funky. The drums have they great moment at certain parts of "Dogs" and in "Sheep". Finally, talking about concept, the album is based in part by George Orwell's "Animal Farm", which explains this "animal" thing. Now into the songs: - Pigs On The Wing (Part 1): Nice, semi-acoustic, some good, catchy lyrics by Mr. Waters, sounds a little hopeless but it's short, so it won't get you too depressive. A good way to start the album, in a quiet note. - Dogs: Maaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnn what a song. 17-minutes long, and I don't give a damn about it... mind-blowing lyrics, mind-blowing guitar, and the awesome combination of Gilmour's and Waters' voice (the first, quiet and somewhat heavy; the latter, nasal and provocative) to make a complete 5-star song. Highly recommended. Check out for those solos on the middle, they're spectacular. Some people may have problems with the synth-part from 8:00 to around 11:40, but that ain't a problem for me. - Pigs (Three Different Ones): My personal favourite. This one has a hell of a bass (really outstanding, I loved it!) and some of Waters' sharpest lyrics. Man, he even takes on Margaret Thatcher ("you f***ed up old hag, ha ha, charade you are") and Mary Whitehouse (I loved that "house proud town mouse" thing) without getting dull or idiot. The middle part and the final solo are also other highlights. The chorus is really sharp and maybe the best part in the song. - Sheep: I said the lyrics in the previous track were SOME of Waters' sharpest lyrics, but this track wins the prize. Man, it's like punk and progressive rock united in a song, I had to listen to it twice to realize what it was... Waters really smashes on everything in this one! I loooooved those lyrics, despite the agressiveness. The bass line is furious, the guitar has some kind of frenzy and there's even a very cool mockery of the 23rd Psalm... it sounds punk so far, but the song lasts like 10 minutes... once again, the middle part and the final guitar parts are highlights. It's every uptempo, something really cool to listen from PF. - Pigs On The Wing (Part 2): Same structure than Part One, but the lyrics are quite more optimistic. A nice way to close the album, considering the fact that Sheep was really raging and furious. I once leaked a version of POTW which featured both parts glued by a 40-second solo. It's a good experience after listening to the album. So, in a few words: this is an awesome album, a must have, and here you'll find some of the best progressions and 5-stars songs. Buy it, leak it, whatever, just HAVE IT!

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