Almost a decade on from his last solo endeavour, David Gilmour is dragged away from the endless adaptations and remastering of Pink Floyd works. He picks up his guitar for original material once more. The Piper’s Call, the first single from the upcoming Luck and Strange, has a wonderful presence. Nine years after Rattle That Lock and it sounds like Gilmour has not missed a beat. Gilmour is given a chance to lock in those final thoughts on a long and lasting career in music. Everyone must at some point. The Rolling Stones did it last year with the lacklustre Hackney Diamonds and Bob Dylan demonstrated his handiwork on Rough and Rowdy Ways. Even Pink Floyd bandmate Roger Waters tried with his bastardised version of The Dark Side of the Moon, his toothless Redux version remains. The Piper’s Call holds an intensity as Gilmour navigates the wilder lessons of his life.
Guitar legends like Mark Knopfler and Steve Hackett already laid out their last pangs of influence and now it is Gilmour’s turn. He still holds an identifiable style, and it remains charming. The Piper’s Call is more a shock of consistency than anything else. These are not the words of Gilmour but of longtime collaborator and wife Polly Samson. Her experiences are Gilmour’s and vice versa. He is freed from the lyrical burden to focus on the sharp, attractive guitar style in this first track. Samson has an obvious knack for these tones of mortality and the fear of conclusion. An open-mindedness is in place because we fear the finality, and so too do Gilmour and Samson. Their experiences locked away, like with so many artists now releasing work, has fundamentally changed their attitude to the world around them.
The Piper’s Call does well to separate the Gilmour everyone knows from the satisfying Pink Floyd days with the Gilmour of now, possessing less of a reliance on guitar solos leading the charge. A confident voice and loose grasp of the past gives Gilmour a new lease of life as a creative. There are still the fundamentals of his work within. As expansive an instrumental range and appeal there is here, it always leads back to essential guitar work. But it is the lack of dependence on it which proves wonderous here. The backing vocals and percussion are given room to breathe. It still features in those latter moments but feels attached to the rest of the track, not just an out-there spot of instrumental flavour for the sake of it as Brian May of Queen would so often provide.
No, instead the focus is on the guitar as an accessory to the tribulations found within. A lyrical sharpness and completeness to it all filter through. It marks an essential listen and Gilmour is still marching on with a furious, unwavering commitment to exploring new ideas. Those promises of eternal youth were false and the achievements of the past are no longer on his mind. The Piper’s Call and in the process, Luck and Strange, provide a complete reset for the legendary guitarist. His vocal presence is a soothing yet empowered experience. Gilmour’s acceptance of mortality is a necessary, inevitable punch. The Piper’s Call is an expansive piece of work, its five minutes of wonder do more than other Pink Floyd members have done in years.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
