There's life in the old dog yet, it seems. Quickly following on from Pink Floyd's underwhelming and semi-original album Endless River, Gilmour was straight back in the studio, this time to record a solo album of originals, his first since 2006's On An Island, and only his fourth in total, the first one being the eponymous1978 offering, made when he was becoming increasingly frustrated at being under utilised within his band, who were at the time in-between Animals and The Wall.

 

In addition, he's also back on the road, for his first tour for nine years, including a self-arranged 'preview' gig at the Brighton Centre, just within walking distance from his Hove home.

 

Produced with Phil Manzanera, Rattle That Lock was recorded at various locations including his local Hove studio, Medina Studio, and with an all star line up of musicians that includes the likes of Jools Holland, Robert Wyatt, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Mica Paris, and a smattering of long time cohorts such as Guy Pratt on bass and Andy Newmark on drums, Gilmour has fashioned a relatively eclectic album, featuring many a trademark guitar solo and tone, and plenty of brooding melancholia, aided by the lyrics of his life partner, Polly Samson.

 

Very loosely conceptualised about a life in the day; reflections on time passing, friends past and present, and the push and pull of time ticking away, Rattle That Lock begins appropriately enough with 5 A.M, an instrumental piece with orchestration (one of several tracks that employ the services of Zbigniew Preisner), and a mixture of Gilmourian acoustic and electric guitar lines, as they both try and convey the breaking of dawn, and the sound of a new day, tweeting birds 'n' all.

 

The title track itself is a mid-tempo funky groover, more in keeping with his 80s and 90s output, and with the Liberty Choir (a charitable organisation that Gilmour supports) in attendance. Interestingly, Michael Boumendil is now the most unlikely recipient of substantial co-writing royalties, thanks to Gilmour's use of the four-note jingle that is an everyday sound at French railway stations, and which Gilmour liked so much he bought it's use as the basis for this 'pleasant' call to arms.

 

Gilmour still writes some of his own lyrics, as on Faces of Stone, a track which has its typically Floydian moments, but with added francois waltz-time tempo, aided by accordion and French horn, and Gilmour's vocal delivery which ironically somewhat mimics Roger Water's more menacing, talking style… Lyrically, it's classic Gilmour melancholia: "Images framed, hung high in the trees/And you talked of your youth but the years had turned dry as the leaves".

 

Based on a very old demo of Gilmour's A Boat Lies Waiting is a particularly personal song, with deceased band mate Richard Wright style piano to the fore, courtesy of Roger Eno, along with Gilmour's manipulated old demo, reminiscent of early 70s Floyd, even to the extent there's the recorded voice of Wright (a la Dark Side of the Moon), and given added poignancy by the presence of fellow old-timers David Crosby and Graham Nash on backing vocals. The rolling motion of the piano inspired Polly Samson to write the lyrics, with Richard Wright in mind, who apparently had a great love of the ocean and sailing…

 

The similarly nostalgia-tinged Dancing Right in Front of Me, also written solely by Gilmour, and a highlight of the album, sees him again delving into his newly expressed love of all things France, this time with a middle eight that does that gypsy swing jazz thing, while lyrically he delivers some of his best lyrics: "Who's to know where they have gone – just out of sight/Into the shadows of my night/Who started out as stars in my eyes".

 

Gilmour returns to Wallesque territory (distant marching drums, etc) for In Any Tongue, a deeply despairing song about lost lives, in conflict and elsewhere, Gilmour passionately singing Samson's lyrics and delivering one of his epic solos; melodic, forceful, and coruscating, he has a style and sound unmistakably his. Generally, Gilmour's guitar playing is as thoughtful as ever, but also at times primal and from deep within, such as on the instrumental Beauty, that carries strong echoes of Wish You Were Here, and er, Echoes, from the Meddle album.

 

The Girl in the Canary Dress is standard downbeat lounge jazz fare, the kind you might hear at an old fashioned dinner jazz club, and featuring contributions by Jools Holland on piano, and Robert Wyatt – a contemporary of Gilmour's via 60s progressive jazz rockers Soft Machine – on cornet, Samson's evocative lyrics conveying the tale of a dancer in a nightclub.

 

Another album highlight, Today, again borrows from The Wall with the funked and phased rhythm guitar providing the foundation for this semi-prog rocker.

 

All in all, a decent effort from one of the most respected of musicians, whose stock is again on an upswing. Never prolific in the songwriting department, Gilmour's flowing mood music is anchored by Samson's evocative lyrics, to pleasing, if not superlative results.

 

Jeff Hemmings