David Gilmour — About Face
album review

LYRICS FROM "YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT"
It's just a matter of opinions;
It's not a simple fact.
Why don't you try to see the other side?
Don't turn your back!
Now we survey this silent battleground—
Recriminations all around—
And still no compromise is found . . .

Album Review: When talking about one of the core members of Pink Floyd, comparison of the artist's solo music to Floydian fare is unavoidable. In the cases of Roger Waters and Nick Mason, solo releases have typically been interesting but not of a level comparable to those of their world-famous band. In David Gilmour's case, the news is better. He stretches beyond just giving us outtakes from Pink Floyd sessions or engaging in self- indulgent noodling; he produces fresh, non-derivative, top-quality songs that will still feel familiar enough to Floyd fans to produce immediate enjoyment. About Face opens with "Until We Sleep," an excellent, grinding bit of space rock that would have been perfectly at home on Meddle. "Out Of The Blue" is reminiscent of Floyd's song "On the Turning Away." The tracks "Murder," "Let's Get Metaphysical" and "Love On The Air" are light- sounding, introspective songs that would have sounded right on A Momentary Lapse of Reason. But it's important to note that these songs reference Pink Floyd's works without ripping them off. Other tracks move beyond Gilmour's Floydian trappings: "Cruise" has an almost islandy sound to it, and "You Know I'm Right" makes itself noticeable by having an atypically melodic hook. "Let's Get Metaphysical" showcases Gilmour's guitar talents with some new and interesting passages. Somewhat appropriately, the About Face closes with "Near The End," a song that feels similar to—but exceeds—many of the songs found on the rather mundane, same-sounding later works of Pink Floyd. A couple of the tracks in the middle of the album are forgettable, but the album's large majority of strong songs make About Face a highly recommended pick—for fans of Pink Floyd or otherwise.

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