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Rating:
The announcement of the new album's release inadvertently brings to mind the recent reunion of Pink Floyd. For those who grew up with the legendary band, the curiosity is immense. We do not know if for Gilmour the Pink Floyd have become, after so many years, a tired and cumbersome shadow on his creativity, but certainly, having been one of the cornerstones, it will bring him considerable publicity.
Let's say right away that the entire album presents a solemn musicality on predominantly slow rhythms. The sound is well polished, and Gilmour's guitar does not betray the expectations of enthusiasts. The intro entrusted to "Castellorizon" is in full Pink Floyd style, a worthy opening to show us that things are serious. It continues with the track that gives the album its title, with its enveloping sound, enhanced by the recognizable harmonies of Crosby & Nash. With "The Blue", the tone does not change, while with the following "Take a Breathe", the much-awaited rock turn arrives, never overdone, almost giving the entire work a balance. Among other tracks, the acoustic "This Heaven" recalls Gilmour's eternal passion for blues, which oozes in the structure of the piece and in the unmistakable final solo, and here and there, the interventions of Rick Wright on the keyboard, yes, him, the old Floydian companion.
Again "Then I Close my Eyes" recommended during makeout sessions. The acoustic "Smile" flaunts a typically Beatlesque melody, almost as if one could hear McCartney singing. The album closes with "Where We Start", sober and elegant, conforming to the nocturnal atmosphere emanated by the album.
Overall a work that Gilmour deserved on the verge of sixty springs, elegant and solemn and perhaps a bit self-celebratory but undoubtedly one that will not disappoint those who know how to appreciate the musician's stature.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 On an Island (06:47)
Remember that night...
White sails in the moonlight
They walked it too...
Through empty playground, this ghost's town
Children again on rusting swings getting higher
Sharing a dream
On an Island.... it felt right
We lay side by side,
Between the moon and the tide
Mapping the stars for a while
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you
Remember that night,
The warmth and the laughter
Candles burn...
Though the church was deserted
At dawn we went down through empty streets to the harbour
Dreamers may leave ...but we're here everafter...
Da da da da da....
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you...
04 Take a Breath (05:45)
Take a breath
Take a deep breath now
Take a breath
A deep breath now
Take a breath
When you're down is where you find yourself
When you're drown there's nothing else
If you're lost you'll need to turn yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else
To make the moves that you can do
When you fall from grace your eyes in blue
Your every breath becomes another world
And the far horizon's living hell
Take a breath
A deep breath now
This kind of love is hard to find
I never got to you by being kind
If I'm the one to throw you overboard
At least I showed you how to swim for shore
When you're down is where you'll know yourself
Then if you're drown there's nothing else
When you're lost you need to find yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else
06 This Heaven (04:24)
All the pieces fall into place
When we walk these fields
And I reach out to touch your face
This earthly heaven is enough for me
So break the bread and pour the wine
I need no blessings but I'm counting mine
Life is much more than money buys
When I see the faith in my children's eyes
I've felt the power in a holy place
And wished for comfort when in need
Now I'm here in a state of grace
This earthly heaven is enough for me
So break the bread and pour the wine
I need no blessings but I'm counting mine
Life is much more than money buys
When I see the faith in my children's eyes
08 Smile (04:03)
Would this do
To make it all right
While sleep has taken you
Where I'm out of sight
I'll make my getaway
Time on my own
Search for a better way
To find my way home
To your smile
Wasting days and days
On this night
Always down and up
Half the night
Hopeless to reminisee
Through the dark hours
We'll only sacrifice
What time will allow us
You're sighing... sighing
All alone
Though you're right here
Now it's time to go
From your sad stare
Make my getaway
Time on my own
Needing a better way
To find my way home
To your smile
10 Where We Start (06:46)
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
We walk ourselves weary, you and I
There's just this moment
I light a campfire away from the path
We lie in the bluebells, a woodpecker laughs
Time passes slowly our hearts entwined
All of the dark times left behind
The day is done
The sun sinks low
We fold up the blanket, it's time to go
We walk ourselves weary, arm in arm
Back through the twilight
Home again
We waltz in the moonlight and the embers glow
So much behind us
Still far to go
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Other reviews
By Torre Ste
The anticipation is truly high, but Gilmour seems used to it and delivers an album filled with compositions of the highest quality.
It is obvious that a Gilmour without Waters (and vice versa) is not able to compose a better work than the entire discography of one of the most important groups in music history.
By Vinsex
Pink Floyd is greater than the sum of its parts, and 'the voice and the guitar' represents just a limb of that fabulous creature.
An self-commemorative album, which has disappointed me quite a bit, but which I hope (though I doubt it) to re-evaluate over time.
By Ginger Drummer
Class is like fine wine, the older it gets, the more crystalline it becomes.
A wonderful, intense, emotional album, a true pearl of rare beauty and craftsmanship packaged by that genius sir David Gilmour.
By iside
The first track starts slow, slow, feels a bit like an old Pink Floyd hit, slips away without leaving a trace.
Hell, it sounds like an old Pink Floyd song.
By paloz
Who at sixty years old can still produce works filled with such emotion?
It could almost be defined as a small leap into the past, an old acquaintance, a rediscovered friend, a regained connection.
