David Gilmour Luck And Strange Translucent Sea Blue Vinyl
Sea Blue Vinyl, gatefold sleeve and booklet with photography and design by Anton Corbijn
âLuck and Strangeâ was recorded over five months in Brighton and London and is Gilmourâs first album of new material in nine years. The record was produced by David and Charlie Andrew, best known for his work with alt-J and Marika Hackman. Of this new working relationship, David says, âWe invited Charlie to the house, so he came and listened to some demos, and said things like, âWell, why does there have to be a guitar solo there?â and âDo they all fade out? Canât some of them just end?â. He has a wonderful lack of knowledge or respect for this past of mine. Heâs 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.â
The majority of the albumâs lyrics have been composed by Polly Samson, Gilmourâs co-writer and collaborator for the past thirty years. Samson says of the lyrical themes covered on âLuck and Strangeâ, âItâs written from the point of view of being older; mortality is the constant.â Gilmour elaborates, âWe spent a load of time during and after lockdown talking about and thinking about those kind of things.â Polly has also found the experience of working with Charlie Andrew liberating, âHe wants to know what the songs are about, he wants everyone whoâs playing on them to have the ideas that are in the lyric informing their playing. I have particularly loved it for that reason.â
The album features eight new tracks along with a beautiful reworking of The Montgolfier Brothersâ âBetween Two Pointsâ and has artwork and photography by the renowned artist Anton Corbijn.
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. The title track also features the late Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright, recorded in 2007 at a jam in a barn at Davidâs house.
Some contributions emerged from the live streams that Gilmour and 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 âBetween Two Pointsâ. Gabriel Gilmour also sings backing vocals.
The albumâs cover image, photographed and designed by Anton Corbijn, is inspired by a lyric written by Charlie Gilmour for the albumâs final song âScatteredâ. Of working with his family on âLuck and Strangeâ, David says, âPolly and I have been writing together for over thirty years and the Von Trapped live streams showed the great blend of Romanyâs voice and harp-playing and that led us into a feeling of discarding some of the past that Iâd 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.â
âLuck and Strangeâ will be released on September 6, 2024 on Sony Music.
Tracklisting:
SIDE ONE
- Black Cat*
- Luck and Strange
- The Piperâs Call
- A Single Spark
- Vita Brevis*
- Between Two Points** - with Romany Gilmour
SIDE TWO
- Dark and Velvet Nights
- Sings
- Scattered***
DAVID GILMOUR âLUCK AND STRANGEâ
All songs Music: David Gilmour. Lyrics: Polly Samson. Except *Music: David Gilmour. **Music: Mark Tranmer. Lyrics by Roger Quigley. ***Music: David Gilmour. Lyrics: David Gilmour, Charlie Gilmour and Polly Samson.
Produced by Charlie Andrew and David Gilmour Engineered by Matt Glasbey, Charlie Andrew, David Gilmour and Damon Iddins Additional engineering by Andy Jackson and Luie Stylianou Mixed by Matt Glasbey, Charlie Andrew and David Gilmour