David Gilmour - On an Island
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Free Music Notes for On an Island
Free Music Review: An Out-of-the-Box Masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
A refreshing new album that encompasses many of the components that Floyd fans, like myself have come to expect, but with a softer touch. Absent are the gritty edged songs like "Comfortably Numb", "Sorrow", "Pigs" and alike, but present are songs more on the lines of "Us and Them", "If", "Wish You Were Here", and "On the Turning Away".
If you're a Pink Floyd fan you won't be too disappointed. The album has the fusion of environmental sounds with various kinds of instruments and vocals you've come to expect. And if you love those great Gilmour soulful solos and riffs, this album will grab you like no other. The first song, "Castellorizon", is a great example of this. It begins with a fog horn blaring, with a synthesizer making a wave-like sound like the ocean, and with the blending of female voices, it gives it a heavy haunting feel, which seem to put you on you're way. As it moves along it brings in for brief moments a banjo, tolling bells, orchestra sounds, a lone saxophone, and the sounds of mortars firing in the distance. This song save the best for last, a beautiful soulful solo that is signature Gilmour, played against a stringed orchestra in the background punctuating every movement of the piece. It sets the tone for the album and provides a great lead in into the title track, "On an Island".
Another Floyd element seems to have returned to this album, a theme. Like many of the previous albums of Pink Floyd this too seems to have a theme. I would liken this to the album "Wish You Were Here". In that album the theme seemed to be about young men striking out on their careers, and offered many caveats and provocative thoughts to ponder. This album, "On an Island", though not a Pink Floyd album, offered perhaps a Gilmour perspective on reaching the end of one's career and like "Wish You Were Here", it to gives more subtle caveats, and provocative thoughts to ponder. As a matter of fact, the last words of this album illustrates this best, "so much behind us still far to go".
The album as a whole is exquisite! If you loved the album "Wish You Were Here", I'm sure you'll want to add this to your collection. If you're not a Floyd fan or if you're oblivious to Pink Floyd, this album might be for you, too. If you enjoy music that's easy to listen to, with an occasional gritty and bluesy punctuation, that incorporates diverse instrumentation, this album is for you. It truly is a departure from what you here today, and is definitely an out-of-box masterpiece.
Free Music Review: A Return to the Past and Yet a Future
Hit: 5 Stars
David Gilmour's new CD On An Island came as a surprise to me. Having not heard that it was being even made until 3 days before its release date made a nice change of pace from my usual wait of several weeks. I had no idea what to expect other than listening to a few samples I could find on the internet.
So what do we have here? The Wall 2? Divison Bell 2? No. Actually if anything this album is much more along the lines of what Pink Floyd's music used to sound like before Roger Waters became the driving lyrical force behind their 70's concept albums. To some listeners the music of On An Island may come as a surprise, but to those fans who listen to and enjoy ALL of Pink Floyd's back catalog its a refreshing visit to the music of the "song sides" of Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, and all of Obscured by Clouds. A song like the classic Fat Old Sun would sound completely at home on this album.
One gets the feeling that as Gilmour enjoys what must be a fairly comfortable life as one of rock's living legends that most of these songs came about during leisurely evenings playing acoustic guitar. Sure, there are moments of rock and blues and Dave's trademark guitar solos, but in general gone are the days of aggression and darkness as from the Wall era.
For me when I listen to an album like this and also Richard Wright's solo album Broken China, it makes me wish that Pink Floyd could escape some of the bombast of their later albums, both with and without Roger Waters. When or probably IF there were another Pink Floyd album (hopefully with Roger Waters!) one would wish that music like this could be included. Perhaps a CD where there's one long track ala Meddle for Waters to conceptualise upon with the remainder of the album filled with individual songs like these would open up the writing to ALL the members like on their most classic albums.
But part of what stands in the way of such a future is the expectations of the "fans". There's so much more to Pink Floyd than Comfortable Numb, Money, and Wish You Were Here. All great songs but Pink Floyd's own history probably stands in the way of there being new Floyd material. At this point I'd personally love to see the original 4 members of the 70's band playing together like one sees on Live at Pompei, stripped down and raw. Live 8 showed just how good of a band they were and still could be.
But I'm not holding my breath! I am just thankful that such a well thought out, beautifully recorded album as On An Island exists.
Free Music Review: There's nothing really to add...
Hit: 5 Stars
to all the wonderful reviews of this album. But who am I kidding. HA! I had the ultimate pleasure of seeing him & his peeps perform in concert this last April in Oakland, and he played this album in full. Just the recreation in my mind of this show is well, dreamy. (I'm almost 47, cut me some slack!!) When he plays his sax solo, I can see him in my mind's eye, drenched and backlit in red smokey fog, mesmerizing the audience with this red hot beautiful sound. It's SMOKIN!!!! I never knew he played the saxophone. And of course his guitar just blew you away. The acoustics were so fabulous, and I can't play it loud enough at my place!!! He is truly a fabulously talented man. I hate to say it, but you die-hard Floyd dudes, it ain't gonna happen. It would be great, but I think they are at entirely different places in their lives, not that I wouldn't pay a ridiculous amount of $$ to see it happen. It's over!!! But this man, and his fellow musicians, and with the collaboration of writing some songs with his wife, sounds to me like a man who has found his true love, is happy with his life and family, and just wants to share it with everyone. Yeah, some of the songs are mushy and again, dreamy, but I would love to have someone sing them to me. His song called "The Blue" is so beautiful; it makes me think of the Caribbean Sea, so enveloping, so lush, so perfect. Laying on a blankie, mapping out stars with your honeybunch sounds pretty freakin awesome in my book. Good for you, David and Polly. You can't begrudge the guy some happiness, when it eludes so many. I love this record and the mood it evokes; reflective, peaceful, fulfilled and from the heart and soul. love it love it love it. Also, the David Gilmour in Concert-2002 is my absolute all time best ever most groovy fave. I've listened to it and watched no less than oh about 5,000 times, and NEVER tire of seeing or hearing him and his fellow musicians. Some of the best parts are/is the smile he gives his backup singers after singing "Je Crois Entendre Encore" just a simple gesture of happiness, and his back-up guitar player's face when he starts "Wish you Were Here" He's so totally-odally into it!!!! Look at his face; it's great! I say, for a visual and audio feast-o-rama, have "On an Island" and the 2002 concert DVD in your Fave 'o Dave collection. It never fails to put a smile on my face, or just get all DREAMY!!!Free Music Review: Still On The Moon
Hit: 5 Stars
I was born in the wrong era. Not to be able to witness the might of the Floyd when they were at the pinnacle of music greatness is bad, especially when your favorite band is PF. Gilmour's past solo records have been pretty disappointing. It's pretty hard matching up to the Floyd sound. But, as soon as I heard Gilmour was coming out with a new solo record, I immediately knew it was going to be great. Maybe it was the fact that a few months before I saw the full lineup on stage at Live 8. It still brings tears to my eyes. But, Gilmour is the next best thing.
"On An Island" could have been another Pink Floyd creation. The sounds, the chords, the vocals, the ambience, and the lyrics all reminisce to the age of Gilmour, Waters, Wright, and Mason. Just like every Floyd opener, "Castellorizon" is a fused overture of sounds and music. However, this is one of the best openers I've ever heard. It's second only to "Dark Side"'s "Speak to Me." The first noise heard reminds me of watching Spielberg's "War of the Worlds." The title track tricks me into thinking I am listening to "Meddle," especially with Crosby and Nash singing back-up vocals. "Take a Breath" is a great Wallesque rock song with David rockin' out. "Red Sky At Night" could be described as the Reader's Digest condensed version of "Shine On." David's saxophone abilities are quite good, even though I wish Dick Perry could have graced his album with his presence. "This Heaven" is very bluesy and is a change from the rest of the album. The lyrics allude to Christianity and Jesus. Very nice. "Then I close My Eyes" is an instrumental, layered on with various instruments including cornet(played by Robert Wyatt), Weissenborn guitar, cello, a turkish instrument called a cumbus, and bass and glass harmonicas. "A Pocketful of Stones" is an odd song with great orchestra and guitar. Could it be that the lyrics have to do with a man about to stoned? Hmmm...
All in all, "On An Island" is an A plus album with original guitar and orchestra. I especially love the orchestra. It really adds a nice touch as well as the many instruments. However, it's Gilmour and his guitar that steal the show. It's not about flying around the fretboard. You have to make every note count. Thanks David.
Free Music Review: Finely crafted, atmospheric and warm.
Hit: 5 Stars
How well you like this album will depend on your preconceptions of what to expect. The Album has a definite Pink Floyd influence stamped on it, but its not altogether Pink Floyd. If you are expecting something edgy along the hard rock genre, you may be somewhat disapointed. But if you are a long time Floyd fan, you will probably be delighted. This is an album for adults, the kiddies need not apply. It is a much more mature David Gilmour, at his most focused and creative. The albums first Track, "Castellorizon", features surreal sound painting of Floydish ambiance, ending with a very signaturesque and soulful guitar solo. Soulfulness is the recurring theme in this album, the feel is that it is coming straight from the heart. The title track, On an Island, is a mellow folksy excursion featuring backups by David Crosby and Graham Nash. The blue is another mellow track, almost reminescent of some of the soft tracks on Meddle. Gilmours vocals are etherial and moving. "Take a breath" is more edgy, with a nice drum sound and great guitar work and vocals. "Red sky at night", is an instrumental with a very deep and textured ambience and some great sax with a subtle but effective orchastral back up. "This heaven is a bluesy piece, again reminsecant of some of the older Floyd tracks, with some great guitar jams. "When I close my eyes" is a nice meandering instrumental track strong on acoustic guitar with piano backup, but featuring a pleasantly suprising bevy of different instruments."Smile" is a personal, unplugged Dave, again something that could have been lifted off Meddle. "Pocketfull of Stones" is a nice ambient orchestral track with again some up close vocals by Dave. "Where we start" is a goodbye track of sorts, reminds me of The beatles "The long and winding road" Hopefully this isnt goodbye from Dave. I have to say, as someone who has been listening to the work of David Gilmour for over 30 years, I thoroughly love this album, it is deep and meaty, and it will grow on you every time you listen to it. It is a bit of a departure from other works, but not so much of one that it is disquieting. To the contrary, it is fresh and takes the music in nice direction. This is certainly his finest solo effort.