Let’s jump off the feisty metal planet for a while, this whirlwind of pointy objects and guttural sounds. Time to step back and check out what other seasoned musicians are up to these days. Artists that had an undeniably massive influence on contemporary rock music without screaming themselves out of their vocal cords.
This time, the RMR crew took a fancy to David Gilmour‘s 2024 solo piece Luck and Strange. Yeah, him. The one that his daughter Romany so pointedly called “…that guy from Pink Floyd.” He’s no founding member of this world-famous Psychedelic Rock band, but for sure stepped in at the right time to prevent this fledgling ship from floundering and sinking for good into the murky depths of that skeletal graveyard of failed acts.1 He’s been at it ever since.
This here blurb ain’t about Gilmour‘s illustrious career with Pink Floyd, of course. So, let’s focus on the aforementioned Luck and Strange. And that one appeared on the RMR crew’s radar when lazily browsing the interweb’s video offerings. Suddenly, on came one Romany Gilmour with a perfectly balanced Gothic Rock melancholy piece called Between Two Points. A track perfectly delivered with just the right tone and measured forcefulness to be emotionally palatable and bring the lyrics to the forefront. And that’s quite a statement from this crew, by the way. The Gothic Rock and Metal movement is a troubled one. Specifically, the storytellers either bored us to tears or just annoyed this crew2 outright. The song itself is an outstanding, kinda dreamy cover of The Mongolfier Brothers’ original from 1999.
So, here we sat, not quite believing our ears with maestro David Gilmour and his magical guitar at the helm. And sure enough, this song and many others on this tracklist end with gentle progression brought about by Gilmour‘s outstanding solo powers. A trait that yours truly could forever listen to. I have hardly heard an artist articulate mood and feelings through his guitar quite that way.
But, Luck and Strange is also a mixed bag. This kind of goes hand in hand with all of Gilmour‘s solo and Floyd albums. It is not that he is particularly bad at songsmithing.3 But his concoctions take time to sink in and shine. Take Pink Floyd’s ’94 piece The Division Bell, for instance. This one got a pretty bad rap from the reviewing community, whilst it proved a resounding commercial success overall. The thing is, listening to it once won’t cut it. It is only after four or five listens that this album reveals its bits of treasure here and there. It took me a number of attempts to really discover its riches, and it has been pretty much at the top of the list of Floyd albums ever since.4 Strange that, huh?
And true to form, Luck and Strange cannot really hide its spots and Floyd’s influence looms large. The Black Cat / Luck and Strange combo will already make sure that you won’t forget David Gilmour‘s alma mater. Sparks of the old, bluesy rock style immediately emerge from nowhere. Laid back, slightly progressive, and full of that inimitable groove we all grew to love over time. And as always, the incredible flow and melodic machinations of the guitar(s) blew us away, as they already did back in the ’90s and before. On the downside, it is also this kind of groove that carried the flag for some of the more mediocre tracks. Such as The Piper’s Call that sounds bland at first but gets some meat on its scrawny bones once the things get groovy.
Luck and Strange seems to be a record of combos, too. Need more proof? Vita Brevis serenely moves in sync with the aforementioned Between Two Points. That a cover should become the filet piece of the album is ironic in a way. But balance, arrangement, and a perfect vocal performance took this one by storm. So, why not, right? I must say, Gilmour showed remarkable restraint when slapping that one onto his daughter because his own vocal powers wouldn’t cover this song too well. Moreover, the RMR crew absolutely loved Scattered, the one getting you those The Dark Side of the Moon5 vibes. This one’s a tour-de-force of typical dreamy songsmithing with – again – that smooth groove and masterful melodic flow that you won’t find in many places these days.
Some of the critical voices out there loudly claimed that this record won’t cut it because – you know – it comes from David Gilmour. But we beg to differ. Nobody ever expects a masterpiece and that flawless execution thing ain’t reality anyways. Luck and Strange may be a bit hit-or-miss at times and some self-editing could have improved the quality some. But on the other hand, it is also almost cunningly slick, sophisticated, suave, and still masterfully forceful in a quiet and dreamy way. And it is that Floyd-ish groove that really made us go for seconds.
You should have some of that, too.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Sony Music | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 6 September 2024
- In 1967, to be precise, replacing Syd Barrett.-↩
- Lindsay Schoolcraft actually banned us from her socials for this. Well, at least some of them. -Ed.-↩
- Not particularly good, either. -Ed.-↩
- Probably egged on by Roger Waters’ acid remarks, too.-↩
- One of Pink Floyd’s most iconic records, released in March 1973.-↩