Review Summary: Gilmour puts you to sleep. In a good way.
Listen to a B.B. King song, any B.B King song, and seconds in anyone with at least a casual knowledge of the guitar world can tell you who’s playing thanks to his signature bumblebee vibrato. Listen to a Led Zeppelin guitar solo and again, there’s no mistaking that it’s Jimmy Page blistering up and down the minor pentatonic scale.
The same goes for this album. After the first three notes of album opener
Castellorizon there’s no doubt that Gilmour is once again rocking the Stratocaster. But how do you define the sound? It’s not a signature fretting-hand technique like King or a familiar sounding scale like Page. Gilmour’s signature is something more complex. Whether he’s playing a double-step bend, a funky palm-muted riff, or an open chord played with a slow downstroke, it’s the emotion of the playing that is most evident. Gilmour has the uncanny ability that few musicians share: the ability to tell a story with his instrument.
Which is a good thing too; because God knows he can’t do it well with lyrics. Most tracks from this album feature lyrics about how happy he is with his wife. Take this example, the first verse from closer
Where We Start: “Where we start is where we end/ we step out sweetly, nothing planned/ along by the river we feed bread to the swans/ and then over the footbridge to the woods beyond.” Hardly a gripping subject. The mediocre lyrics don’t stand in the way of enjoying the album however, because the music is too relaxing to care. Furthermore, there’s plenty of excellently composed music to keep the listener interested. The late Richard Wright (also of Floyd fame) stands behind the keys for several cuts and, just like in Pink Floyd, he contributes to the soothing feel of the album by supporting Gilmour’s guitar leads with beautiful, haunting, well chosen chords.
Turning on this album feels like floating down a calm, warm river. Its melodies will wash over you and relax every fibre of your being. Probably what makes this album feel so right is that David Gilmour sounds like he’s finally detached himself from the legacy that is Pink Floyd. He doesn’t avoid sounding like them (like on earlier solo efforts), nor does he try to replicate their sounds (like on A Momentary Lapse of Reason, the first post-Waters Pink Floyd album). He just plays what he wants to hear, and the album is all the better for it. It’s probably not the most incredible release that Gilmour has been associated with, that would probably be Wish You Were Here, but it comes damn close.
Pros:
-Incredible guitar playing from Gilmour
-Very relaxing to listen to, without becoming boring
-Well-composed songs and great musicianship all around
Cons:
-Forgettable lyrics
Recommended Tracks:
-Castellorizon
-On An Island
-Red Sky at Night
-Then I Close My Eyes
