by Geoff Bailie
2024 … that makes it’s 9 years since … yes … David Gilmour has a new album out! I’m assuming that the media, social or otherwise means you probably haven’t missed the news that the follow-up to 2015’s Rattle That Lock is now unchained. I thoroughly enjoyed 2006’s On An Island and saw an amazing show on that tour, which featured Rick Wright in the band and included all of that album plus an absolutely mesmerizing version of Floyd’s Echoes. The follow-up album however mostly left me a bit cold. Faces of Stone and A Boat Lies Waiting were excellent but the rest just didn’t strike me. So I was going into this album wanting to be impressed and, spoiler alert, I was!
You’ve heard me say this before but… I’m a big fan of the nicely formed 45-minute album. Structuring that journey, rather than just dumping music to fill 79 minutes of a CD, is an art form! And it’s one there’s plenty of evidence of on Luck and Strange. Gilmour has said that he’s continually working on musical ideas and when the pandemic led to the cancellation of some appearances promoting his wife Polly Samson’s book A Theatre for Dreamers, he and his family began a series of Von Trapped live streams with contributions from various family members, including some singing from daughter Romany accompanied by her harp playing – it’s great to see she gets featured here!
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the production of this album is that Gilmour collaborated with producer Charlie Andrew, a musician in his own right who also spent a period working at Abbey Road. The skill of the producer is a delicate combination of bringing the best out of the artist while offering a fresh perspective without pushing things too far out of sync with the artist’s vision – and to my ears, this is what they achieved. The scene is set by the opening instrumental Black Cat, after which we enter a Time Machine, to an extent! The title track derives many of its musical ideas from one of Gilmour’s Barn Jams, in this case, one recorded in 2007 featuring Gilmour, along with Guy Pratt (bass), Steve DiStanislao (drums), and Rick Wright on keyboards, just after the On An Island tour. However, this isn’t a throwback but rather a set of musical ideas taken and added to create a fantastic new track. The addition of a fresh chorus, a middle eight plus some clever editing means Wright is present on pieces of the track not even conceived at the time of the original jam. It’s a really strong start.
The Piper’s Call features some more eclectic elements such as ukulele (played by Gilmour), djembe (by Adam Betts), and drums by the legendary Steve Gadd who plays on 5 tracks on this album. The playing and production are absolutely top quality, as you would expect! A Single Spark is a good example of some of the personal-style reflections within the album, ruminating on life and age, but not in a selfish, grumpy old man way. Polly Samson’s poetry observes the singer kicking back with his “old guitar”, “thankful and afraid”, before a mellow bluesy guitar solo leads into the ending. The song manages to capture a natural organic feel within the context of a track that has keyboard layers, loops, and a choir and orchestra! Atom Heart Mother it ain’t … thank goodness!!!
A short instrumental, Vita Brevis, leads to a version of the Montgolfier Brothers’ Between Two Points – the great Gilmour doing cover versions!!! Outrage? Well no. First off check the track list of the first Gilmour solo album! Secondly thematically the lyrics of this track, as well as the sonics, are very much in keeping with the whole album. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the track is an incredible showcase for Romany Gilmour’s beautiful voice! With David’s voice inhabiting a slightly rougher more worn tone, Romany’s pure tones bring a further shade of colour to the music. But don’t be concerned that this might be ill founded nepotism! It’s a demonstration that in creating this music, Gilmour sets aside any expectations (including the one that says he has to sing everything!) with the goal of making the best album!
The mellow shifts for Dark and Velvet Nights, as the angelic replaces the swampy and slightly dirty sound. Some cowbell and dirty guitar playing make this a refreshing “rocker”, and some complimentary guitar tones and playing. “I’m not ready for news, or to leave this cocoon” in Sings suggests that part of Gilmour / Samson actually relished, possibly even enjoyed the lockdown experience, and wished it could continue! It’s a reflection of a state of mind that clearly shows David is most at ease when he’s taking it easy, and making occasional forays to the studio, and at times the stage!
The grand finale of the album is Scattered, a song that has received a lot of attention for some of the sonic elements. Gilmour feigned ignorance when asked about the heartbeat and the treated piano that appears at the start of the track. A nylon string guitar plays a lick from High Hopes part way through and one can’t help but conclude that when he refers to “still doing this dance… as the days slip by” that must me some small reference to the unsettled relationship with one former member of the “pop group” he used to be in. Perhaps to address that, the song ends with the most monumental” typical Gilmour guitar solo of the whole album. It’s a brilliant track that is accompanied by an undercurrent that says: look I can still do this, but that doesn’t mean I want to do it all the time!
The album proper finished, there are 2 bonus tracks. Yes I Have Ghosts is the track used to promote Samson’s book that I mentioned earlier. It’s a beautifully simple acoustic piece with Gilmour and his family combining their voices. To close the circle, the original Barn Jam from which the title track emerged – it’s a nice extra to see behind the veil into a 14-minute jam, but a bonus cut.
You may have read the “better than Dark Side of the Moon” misquote on social media. What Gilmour actually said was that he felt that the album was the best he has made in the years since 1973. The whole “best / favorite” arguments aside Luck and Strange is a very strong album with an excellent blend of songs, musicianship, and a thematic core around which the album is built (a bit like DSOTM, you could argue!). If you’re a fan of anything David Gilmour has done in the 40 years since About Face, this really is worth investigating.
Released on September 6th, 2024 on Sony Music.
Order now here: https://davidgilmour.lnk.to/LuckandStrange
Tracklisting:
Black Cat*
Luck and Strange
The Piper’s Call
A Single Spark
Vita Brevis*
Between Two Points** – with Romany Gilmour
Dark and Velvet Nights
Sings
Scattered***
BONUS TRACKS
Yes, I Have Ghosts
Luck and Strange (original Barn Jam)*
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