David Gilmour, the Pink Floyd legend, has unveiled the video for “The Piper’s Call”, the inaugural track from his upcoming album titled “Luck And Strange,” scheduled for release on September 6, 2024, through Sony Music.
Directed by filmmaker Gavin Elder, the video was filmed during the production of “Luck And Strange.” Shot at Ely Cathedral, Astoria, and in Brighton, the visual showcases David alongside co-producer Charlie Andrew, Polly Samson, Romany and Gabriel Gilmour, esteemed drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Guy Pratt, engineer Matt Glasbey, keyboardist Rob Gentry, assistant engineer Luie Stylianou, and the beloved Wesley the dog.
Recorded over a span of five months in both Brighton and London, “Luck And Strange” marks David Gilmour’s return to new material after a hiatus of nine years. Produced by David himself alongside Charlie Andrew, renowned for his collaborations with ALT-J and Marika Hackman, the album signifies a significant milestone in Gilmour’s illustrious career. Of this new working relationship, David says: “We invited Charlie to the house, so he came and listened to some demos, and said things like, ‘Well, why does there have to be a guitar solo there?’ and ‘Do they all fade out? Can’t some of them just end?’ He has a wonderful lack of knowledge or respect for this past of mine. He’s very direct and not in any way overawed, and I love that. That is just so good for me because the last thing you want is people just deferring to you”.
The majority of the album’s lyrics have been composed by Polly Samson, Gilmour’s co-writer and collaborator for the past thirty years. Samson says of the lyrical themes covered on “Luck And Strange”: “It’s written from the point of view of being older; mortality is the constant.” Gilmour elaborates: “We spent a load of time during and after lockdown talking about and thinking about those kind of things.” Polly has also found the experience of working with Charlie Andrew liberating: “He wants to know what the songs are about, he wants everyone who’s playing on them to have the ideas that are in the lyric informing their playing. I have particularly loved it for that reason.”
The album features eight new tracks along with a beautiful reworking of THE MONTGOLFIER BROTHERS’ “Between Two Points” and has artwork and photography by the renowned artist Anton Corbijn.
Musicians contributing to the record include Guy Pratt and Tom Herbert on bass, Adam Betts, Steve Gadd and Steve DiStanislao on drums, Rob Gentry and Roger Eno on keyboards with string and choral arrangements by Will Gardner. The title track also features the late PINK FLOYD keyboard player Richard Wright, recorded in 2007 at a jam in a barn at David’s house.
