The Final Cut

The Wall, Pt. 2.

That’s basically what this is, and honestly I don’t mind at all. It’s Roger Waters’ party again, and by this point it feels way more like a Roger Waters solo album than a full Pink Floyd record. The Wall already leaned that way, but The Final Cut takes it even further, with much less involvement from the rest of the band. Still, if you listen to it as a continuation of The Wall, it works beautifully.

A lot of the material here was originally written during The Wall sessions, and you can definitely hear it: same atmosphere, same kind of dramatic build-ups, but this time it’s even more personal. Waters really lays out his grief about losing his father in WW2, his anger at war and the system behind it. It’s raw, emotional, and you feel every bit of it. That anger and disbelief carries the whole record, and honestly, that’s what makes it hit so hard.

Musically, it doesn’t quite have the big highs or the iconic tracks that The Wall had (Comfortably Numb, Hey You, Run Like Hell, Another Brick In The Wall, Young Lust, In The Flesh, etc.), but it’s still packed with amazing moments. The Post War Dream, The Gunner’s Dream, The Fletcher Memorial Home, The Final Cut, Not Now John, and Two Suns in the Sunset all stand out as amazing tracks. The writing is sharp, emotional, and the arrangements are still that classic Floyd sound: moody, dramatic, full of tension and release, and quite orchestral.

It's a pity that a lot of people don’t rate this one too high, but I think it’s still a really strong album. Not quite top-tier Pink Floyd, but definitely a fantastic Roger Waters record. As a follow-up to The Wall, it makes total sense, and paired with the short film they made for it, the whole experience just hits even harder.