David Gilmour announces new album ‘Luck and Strange’
It’s his first album of new material in nine years
Pink Floyd musician David Gilmour has announced a new solo album, ‘Luck and Strange’, which will be released on 6th September via Sony Music.
The first single from the album, ‘The Piper’s Call’, was also released on 25th April - with the music video premiering the following day on 26th.
Watch: David Gilmour - 'The Piper's Call'
Prior to the song's release, David released a teaser clip of 'The Piper's Call' music video on social media, which you can watch below:
‘Luck and Strange’ is David’s first all-original album in nine years and features a surprise appearance from the late Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright, which was recorded in 2007 at a jam in a barn at David’s house.
It was produced by David Gilmour and Charlie Andrew, best known for his work with ALT-J and Marika Hackman.
David said: “We invited Charlie to the house, so he came and listened to some demos, and said things like, ‘Well, why does there have to be a guitar solo there?’ and ‘Do they all fade out? Can’t some of them just end?
“He has a wonderful lack of knowledge or respect for this past of mine. He’s very direct and not in any way overawed, and I love that. That is just so good for me because the last thing you want is people just deferring to you.”
Watch: David Gilmour - 'Luck and Strange' album teaser
Most of the lyrics have were written by Gilmour’s wife and long-term collaborator Polly Samson, who said of the themes: “It’s written from the point of view of being older; mortality is the constant.”
Gilmour adds: “We spent a load of time during and after lockdown talking about and thinking about those kind of things.”
Polly has also found the experience of working with Charlie Andrew liberating. She said: “He wants to know what the songs are about, he wants everyone who’s playing on them to have the ideas that are in the lyric informing their playing. I have particularly loved it for that reason.”
Musicians contributing to the record include Guy Pratt & Tom Herbert on bass, Adam Betts, Steve Gadd and Steve DiStanislao on drums, Rob Gentry & Roger Eno on keyboards with string and choral arrangements by Will Gardner.
Some contributions emerged from the live streams that David and his family performed to a global audience during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. Romany Gilmour sings, plays the harp and appears on lead vocals on ‘Between Two Points’ while Gabriel Gilmour also provides backing vocals.
The Pink Floyd musician said: “Polly and I have been writing together for over thirty years and the Von Trapped live streams showed the great blend of Romany’s voice and harp-playing and that led us into a feeling of discarding some of the past that I’d felt bound to and that I could throw those rules out and do whatever I felt like doing, and that has been such a joy.”
‘Luck And Strange’ tracklist
- 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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