The Final Cut Review

Whatever else it is, it is not a group record. Wright had been forced out, Gilmour's involvement is minimal and audible only in flashes, and Waters sings almost the entire thing in a strained near whisper that breaks into a scream every few minutes. The arrangements are dry and orchestral, with a lot of space and a lot of sound effects, and the dynamic trick of quiet verse into sudden violence is used so often it stops working.

The writing is not the problem. The Gunner's Dream and the title track are both serious pieces of work, and the anger at politicians spending other people's sons is completely sincere. The problem is that there is no relief anywhere across the record and almost no music that exists for its own pleasure. Not Now John is the single moment of release, a shouted rocker with Gilmour finally allowed a lead vocal, and it lands like a fire alarm in a chapel. It is the sound of a band ending badly, honest about its own misery, and very hard to enjoy on the terms it sets.