David Gilmour – On An Island

i rather like this disc, actually. there's a good interplay between floydian guitar/synth theatrics, much of it with synthesizers replaced by an organic orchestra, which adds a great deal of subtlety to the old formula, and very laid back songwriting.

does music have a function? it's difficult to answer in the negative. once a function of music is at least nominally accepted, there is no option but to judge a piece of music by it's ability to achieve it's goal. what i'm trying to get away from is an objective analysis of the disc...

....because most people my age would pick up a gilmour disc hoping for twelve tracks that sound exactly like comfortably numb, another brick in the wall, money or whatever floyd track they like so very much and they're simply not going to get it on this disc. yet, it's the expectations that are unreasonable. thirty years is a long time; age catches up to you and it's ultimately kind of important to that david gilmour's fan base was then mostly in it's 50s, 60s or even 70s.

the tragic flaw in the disc is that, unlike some of his contemporaries, david gilmour took the time to grow up. the disc deeply, deeply suggests reflection, meaning it can work in a variety of circumstances: watching a sunset or a sunrise on a park bench or at the cottage, loafing about due to whatever reason, reading or studying - the sorts of things that retired people do if they're well enough off to be lucky enough to do them. while this is the strength of the disc, it is also precisely what will bore younger listeners to death.

it's the guitar player inside of me that can't get enough of david gilmour's simple yet gutwrenchingly effective lead style. the second half of the third track is simply gorgeous, as are the first and fifth tracks, both instrumentals. where the disc falls apart slightly is when it tries to turn the volume up; while gilmour thankfully makes no attempt whatsoever to pretend he's half his age, the rock songs on the disc are unfortunately slightly generic. the guitar work on take a breath saves the track; this heaven has no such redeeming quality.

i recommend this disc quite adamantly to elderly people of all ages and caution the immature against it equally adamantly.