Proving there is still plenty of life left in him yet, former Pink Floyd frontman and lead guitarist Dave Gilmour has been pretty busy of late. Floyd’s swansong album The Endless River was released late last year, and now, Gilmour has returned with his fourth solo record.
The albums is a real surprise; arguably better than The Endless River, which contained a number of re-worked ambient out-takes from their last full blown studio album, 1994’s The Division Bell. It could almost be said that Rattle That Lock is what the very last Pink Floyd album should have been. It’s a varied, catchy and expansive release, featuring those beautiful, silky guitar lines and unique, bluesy vocals. His work on the six-string, acoustic and electric, is still a thing of true magic and wonder.
Each track is quirky and indeed excellent, particularly the title track, which, in true idiosyncratic fashion, features the beautifully integrated jingle of the SNCF, the French National Railway Company. The record also features three very cool instrumentals and the pure smoky jazz of The Girl in the Yellow Dress. Today injects some funk and some Blondie-type stylings into the Floydian explorations of the album, and features what is probably its best chorus. Rattle that Lock is wall to wall quality. He may be pushing 70, but the great Gilmour has still got it.
BY ROD WHITFIELD
