Rattle That Lock

After listening to Roger Waters' new album a few weeks ago, I decided to check out another former member of Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, who released Rattle That Lock last year. While Waters was in an angry political mood, Gilmour is more contemplative, letting his guitar do most of the talking.

I don't play guitar and don't know much about it at all, but it's amazing how Gilmour has an instantly recognizable sound. He makes great use of sustain, and his notes are clear and biting. That is evident from the get-go, in the first track, an instrumental called "5 a.m." There are also two other instrumentals.

In the tracks with lyrics, they are cryptic and familiar Pink Floyd themes. Gilmour took over the writing for Pink Floyd after Waters left, so the last few albums were his, and they sound much like Rattle that Lock. Many of the songs are co-written by Gilmour's partner, Polly Samson.

The songs that I liked best were "Any Tongue" and "Today," with "The Girl in the Yellow Dress" bringing out the jazz man in Gilmour.

This is a nice record, nothing transcendent and nothing as good as Pink Floyd. It's interesting that when bands break up, usually because of personal differences, the parts never equal the sum. Only the Rolling Stones seem to realize that. They do their solo albums, but damn if they don't stick together, put out another album, and tour.