David Gilmour, the not so iconic lead guitar player and frontman for the Pink Floyd tends to fly under the mainstream radar, and I think it suits him just fine being the man behind the mask. Gilmour is a legend among guitar players, and is also a legend among rock fans who know him and those that don’t know him. Nearly everyone has heard Gilmour’s haunting and ethereal guitar playing somewhere, someplace whether they realize it or not. Gilmour’s latest effort, Rattle That Lock, is a continued amalgamate between his collaborations with wife Polly Samson and his Pink Floyd roots.
Rattle That Lock opens with an eerily post Final Cut track in “5 A.M.” which pays homage to Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell. But for a moment you’re mind is sent to thoughts that perhaps this album is going to be pseudo the Pink Floyd effort. Then the album’s namesake, Rattle That Lock, begins and you’re transported into Genesis/Peter Gabriel stage with an amazing keyboard hook that effortlessly pulls you in. It’s all at once refreshing and reminiscent, a wash of mixed feelings bringing memories of MTV in it’s mid-80’s heyday.
Gilmour doesn’t stop there though. In an almost concentrated effort to force you to shed all your musical prejudices, “Faces of Stone” rips into your ears pulling influence from Gilmour’s On An Island album. Faces of Stone is by far one of the strongest efforts on the album with whimsical instrumental musings and wonderfully crafted lyrics, Gilmour’s lead guitar work shines here.
Gilmour’s efforts to separate himself from the Pink Floyd and call that part of his history over shows in spades on Rattle That Lock. But he does it with respect knowing that even though he wishes the Pink Floyd to be behind him, it will always be a pale shadow which walks alongside him. He’ll never truly be free of it but it can live in harmony with his new shadow to create vibrant and haunting new tunes for us to enjoy.
While the hard cores feel slighted and betrayed by Sir David’s choice of writing partner in Samson, in my opinion his work has only become more solid since collaborating with Samson. It happens to us all as music fans, as fans of art in any form. We get locked in a windowless room of comfort and we cherish the works around us so much we’re too scared to venture out to see, hear and feel something new. David Gilmour is rattling the lock with some new beauty, it takes little effort to open that door and take a listen, your ears just might be surprised.
This is a must buy album. Let us know what you think of Gilmour’s latest on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.
Last Updated on November 28, 2018.
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