The announcement yesterday afternoon of The Endless River, Pink Floyd’s new album, released on November 10th, has taken the media world by storm. News outlets across the world, be them print, broadcast, or online, have been talking about the release. This was aided in part by the sleeve art appearing in various places such as London’s South Bank (an 8 metre cube showcasing the artwork!), New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, Paris, Berlin and Milan. Pictures of these displays have appeared on the official Pink Floyd Facebook page if you want to check them out, and a picture of the London TER cube, kindly sent in by BD visitor Rob Brown, can be seen over at the Brain Damage Facebook page.

Aubrey “Po” Powell, Pink Floyd’s Creative Director - who celebrates his birthday today (many happy returns, Po!) - has been talking about the background to the atmospheric album cover. It was created by 18-year old Egyptian digital artist Ahmed Emad Eldin, and was an image which immediately appealed during their search for a suitable cover. “When we saw Ahmed’s image it had an instant Floydian resonance. It’s enigmatic and open to interpretation, and is the cover that works so well for The Endless River.”

In this morning’s breakfast show on the UK’s BBC Radio 6, Po discusses how they contacted a number of artists for their ideas of the album cover, with Damien Hurst concocting a staggering 60 ideas for their consideration! You can hear the interview on demand through this link (you might want to wind forward to the 1 hour and 45 minute mark for Po’s interview.

Elsewhere in the UK, published today is the monthly magazine Uncut (cover date November 2014, shown to the right) who present an Endless River Special. Inside the eye-catching cover showing a contemporary portrait of David Gilmour and Nick Mason is a fascinating eight-page article, giving an in-depth look at the project, interviewing the main protagonists: David, Nick, Andy Jackson, Phil Manzanera, and Youth. It’s a huge look at the album, and how it all came together, and an essential read. You can buy it now in all good UK stores, and in various stores worldwide shortly as an import.