David Gilmour has always been a distinctive force. A musician who possesses sharp objective thought, and is realistic about his place in the world, such honesty has driven his longevity. He’s fully aware of his strengths and pitfalls, and this has allowed him to shape his craft in line with the ever-morphing zeitgeist, maintaining a level of relevance that so many of his generation, and even perhaps his old Pink Floyd bandmates, do not possess.
This spirit is clearly perceived by the way Gilmour successfully captained Pink Floyd after the departure of primary songwriter Roger Waters in 1985. As leader, he created a proggy take on stadium rock with 1987’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason, melding their classic sound with the wide, synthy palette of the day. Then, in one of his most genius artistic turns, he took them down a more cerebral, ambient and altogether singular route on The Division Bell and The Endless River. The latter perfectly bookended their career. It’s a mature, meditative body of work embodied by the cover art depicting a young man punting across a sea of clouds towards the sun.
Yet, it’s not just with Pink Floyd that Gilmour has resoundingly expressed his hyper-self aware nature. His latest solo album, 2024’s Luck and Strange, completely refreshed his sound. Arguably his finest album on his own, it is characterised by working with contemporary producer Charlie Andrew, who openly challenged Gilmour’s long-held writing and recording habits, and forced him to approach songs in refreshing and unique ways.
Andrew was explicit about the fact he didn’t want to make a carbon copy of Gilmour’s previous efforts or the Pink Floyd sound, which Gilmour appreciated. In Rolling Stone, The British legend said of the producer: “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.”
Although working with Andrew might have been something of a surprise to hardcore Gilmour fans, given the former Pink Floyd man has repeatedly said he doesn’t listen to contemporary music, he did admit that he listened to a pioneering contemporary group when conceiving Luck and Strange. This is Alt-J, the trio who Andrew made his name producing. Gilmour even went as far as to describe the ‘Breezeblocks’ band as wholly “inspiring”.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2024, Gilmour revealed his love of the Leeds band: “I don’t really listen to an awful lot of modern music. But the band I have been listening to is Alt-J, and they are what brought me to Charlie Andrew as a producer for this album. The work that they do with his help, I have found inspiring. He showed a massive lack of respect for my past and what I’ve done and, believe me, that is something one needs in life – to have people that come at you on a level playing field!”
Editors’ Picks
- British Music
- David Gilmour
- Luck and Strange
- Modern Rock
- Music Collaboration
- Pink Floyd
- Progressive Rock
