After a nine-year hiatus of releasing a studio album, the return of David Gilmour has arrived. His fifth since the commencement of his solo career in 1978, Luck and Strange does well to hit the nostalgic Pink Floyd sound that fans have been yearned for over the last decade.
Truly a legendary artist, Luck and Strange arrived on September 6, 2024, through Sony Music with eleven tracks (two of which are bonuses) that dutifully pay homage to not only his Floydian roots, but also his strengths as a solo artist. Here you have compositions fully formed and organized in a manner that takes you on a journey constantly exploding beyond the dollar store archetype of strife that has been lamented. Buoyed by the duration of his layoff, as well as the deafening buzz and hype that such a musician creates, Gilmour is back in full and not taking any prisoners.
Recorded over five months between Brighton and London, the new record was produced by Gilmour and Charlie Andrew, with the lyrics composed by Gilmour and long-time collaborator Polly Samson. With Gilmour rolling solo, he enlisted the assistance of an esteemed group of musicians to contribute to the sound desired; such as Guy Pratt & Tom Herbert on bass, Adam Betts & Steve Gadd & Steve DiStanislao on drums, Rob Gentry & Roger Eno on keyboards, but also his daughter (Romany Gilmour) and son (Gabriel Gilmour) offering vocals.
No matter if you are a decades-long Pink Floyd fanatic, or just trying to hear what is new, Luck & Strange has something for everyone. It will tug on your emotions, stuff you with inspiration, and set you on a wild journey of Mr. Gilmour’s extensive backlog.
Starting with “Black Cat,” it goes by so quickly, that you may think its place on the album is an accident, but like a great MC opener for stand-up comedy, it sets the stage. Floydian blues licks, almost like fog over the instrumental track, settle the audience into a mysterious calm that Gilmour’s music has been known to create; tempting you to explore further into the record.
“Luck and Strange” follows suit; opening with the tip-tap that would resonate throughout Greenwich Village clubs for years, a heavy bass line that thumps along, pulling heads to bob and feet to tap. Gilmour’s airy vocals are as smoky and thick as ever, working with the individual instruments to build a story. A journey through backstreets to the shining light of success, the track brings you through the almost impossible human struggle for happiness.
From here, with the passing of each track, you are joyfully exposed to the blending abilities of Gilmour and his team. This is the case with the softer opening of “Piper’s Call.” Archived with an acoustic guitar, it plays well with the dancing strings and rolling percussion, before about halfway through the song Gilmour provides a much-needed glimpse into his prowess on the six-string.
It takes a true musician to combine the elements that Gilmour employs on Luck and Strange, and the only negative surrounding the release of this album is that fans had to wait almost a decade to hear its sweet secrets. This is never more accurate than on the exquisitely executed track, “Scattered”; a heart-wrenching, almost foreboding number that raises the question of our mortality. The track continues to flow forward whether we are truly absorbing what is going on, much like the lives we all live. The fact that life will move on whether it lets us know or not.
In the end, the album ends in a big way when the bonus track “Luck and Strange – original Barn Jam” arrives. A fourteen-minute epic overflowing with magical moments, it is a song that could go on for days. With this Gilmour shows his goal is not to smack you over the noggin, but to slowly and firmly draw you into his reality. At first glance, this reality does not appear to be much different than the listeners’, but through subtle influence, the audience begins to understand that things may be deeper than we think, there is more to our existence than just the surface area of how much money we have and who we know. Gilmour is asking us to examine our lives and determine what our greater meaning is.
Overall, David Gilmour has returned and is at the top of his craft. Throughout Luck and Strange, he continues to personify the diverse, passionate artist who fronted one of the greatest Rock bands ever. That is why Cryptic Rock gives David Gilmour’s Luck and Strange 4 out of 5 stars.
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