“Empty Spaces” sees Waters droning on in a groveling monotone while the penultimate song “The Trial” features his talent in both voice acting and mimicking regional accents of the U.K. Waters’ vocals are an absolute highlight and show off his range of expressiveness. Every note and chord wails out-creating this intense blend of raw passionate fury and deep melancholia. David Gilmour’s signature slow-burning guitar solos are where the album is able to capture a sense of beauty among the horror. The bass lines and drums repeat in a steady march in many tracks-creating a militaristic, fascistic hellscape in the listener’s mind. The overall sound palette of the album is eerie and foreboding. The album itself is a peek inside his Wall. “The Wall” serves as a sort of window into the dark sides of Waters’ mind and artistry. The story is partially autobiographical for Waters and includes some biographical elements of ex-member Syd Barrett, a standard for Floyd albums of this golden era. This narrative is circular with the final track “Outside the Wall” segueing back into the instrumentation of the first song “In the Flesh?” Roger Waters can be heard murmuring “Isn’t this where…” In the album’s beginning, if listening carefully, Waters can be heard finishing “…we came in?” When someone allows themselves to be vulnerable, it’s inevitable they will become too traumatized by the outside world and reconstruct their Wall.
Pink floyd the wall album genre trial#
Pink becomes increasingly devoid of empathy and reason-climaxing in a hallucinated trial inside his head for his crimes wherein he is forced to “tear down the Wall” and expose his inner self to the world. Each traumatic event in his life leads to the construction of a metaphoric “Wall” in his mind-representing the barrier between his feelings, ego and the outside world. The story, following a rock star named Pink, traverses his life from his birth and childhood to his fame and downfall. There is no such sentiment in “The Wall.” It’s a perfectly grim cautionary tale-warning listeners to not become so isolated and cold to the world that they drive themselves to violence and insanity. “Animals” provided a metaphorical, dystopian view of the world as represented by farm animals, but ultimately backpedaled on its premise in the final track by providing a message of hope and unity among mankind. Albums “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here” dabbled in darkness, but featured tracks with an unmistakable shred of sentimentality.
The album represents the apex of the increasing bleakness of Pink Floyd’s material during the 1970s. This is the core tenant of Pink Floyd’s masterwork. With the rise of radical and often violent political groups-particularly alt-right ones, which are evoked by the track “In the Flesh”-there’s a general feeling that the world is falling apart around us and each individual is completely alone and powerless to fight it. The depictions of war, isolation and descent into madness feel frighteningly prophetic in 2019 with reports of loneliness and disaffection steadily rising among young people. Released in November 1979, the album is celebrating its 40th anniversary. These lyrics, which reeks of desperate need for connection, give a glimpse of what makes Pink Floyd’s concept album “The Wall” such a haunting and important experience that remains relevant. “Is there anybody out there?” echoed voices from inside the Wall chant ominously. Album cover for Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” Recognized as one of the best-selling albums of all time on its 40th anniversary, “The Wall” is still praised for its storytelling and sound palette.