David Gilmour has announced his first album of unreleased material in nine years. It’s titled “Luck and Strange” and will be released on September 6th.
Recorded over five months between Brighton and London, it’s produced by Charlie Andrew (Alt-J). “We invited Charlie over,” says Gilmour in a statement, “and played him some demos. He started saying things like ‘why does there have to be a guitar solo?’ or ‘do they all have to fade out? Can’t they just end?’ He has a wonderful thing: he doesn’t know, and therefore doesn’t respect, my past. He’s very direct and doesn’t let himself be intimidated, and I really like that. It’s an extremely positive thing, the last thing I want is to have deferential people around me.”
Among the musicians are Guy Pratt and Tom Herbert on bass, Adam Betts, Steve Gadd, and Steve DiStanislao on drums, Rob Gentry and Roger Eno on keyboards. String and choir arrangements are by Will Gardner.
The guitarist’s daughter, Romany Gilmour, is also featured on backing vocals and lead vocals on the cover of “Between Two Points” by the Montgolfier Brothers. The other eight tracks are originals. In the title track, the late Richard Wright is featured in a 2007 recording.
The lyrics, written by the guitarist’s wife and writer Polly Samson, are “written from the perspective of someone in old age, mortality being the constant,” a theme, her husband adds, they talked a lot about during and after the lockdown. The lyrics of the last piece, “Scattered,” were contributed by their son, Charlie Gilmour. His words inspired Anton Corbijn for the cover photo. The first single, “The Piper’s Call,” will be released tomorrow, with the video following on Friday.
The cover and tracklist, including bonus tracks such as the noted “Yes, I Have Ghosts”:
Black Cat (Gilmour)
Luck and Strange (Gilmour-Samson)
The Piper’s Call (Gilmour-Samson)
A Single Spark (Gilmour-Samson)
Vita Brevis (Gilmour)
Between Two Points (Tranmer-Quigley)
Dark and Velvet Nights (Gilmour-Samson)
Sings (Gilmour-Samson)
Scattered (D. Gilmour-Samson-C. Gilmour)
Bonus tracks:
Yes, I Have Ghosts (Gilmour-Samson)
Luck and Strange (Original Barn Jam) (Gilmour-Samson)
A Single Spark (Orchestral) (Gilmour-Samson)
Scattered (Orchestral) (D. Gilmour-Samson-C. Gilmour)