ON AN ISLAND

There is no way to expect from ex-Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour the kind of music lushly decorated with high energy, neck-breaking speed guitar solo. Not in the past. Surely not nowadays, where he comfortably reaches 60 years of age, in which he has been in a peaceful life with his second marriage with writer Polly Samson who gave birth to four children, three of them under age 10; and having a life sometimes he enjoys gleefully at his houseboat anchored by the banks of the River Thames, in which he built a studio.

It is by no means a coincidence that his newest solo album, released last month, the first in 22 years, reflects himself and the surrounding environment of the houseboat wonderfully named Astoria. In listening to this album, one might have thought, among others, of seeing garden of bamboo and willows, and watching swans glide on the waters that slip beneath the blue sky -- just about perfectly reflects the place where it was made. Everything's serene. And there's no rush.

"I was just letting it all flow out as naturally as I can," Gilmour said. "There are quite a lot of those melancholy major seventh chords and 3/4 waltz tempos. That must be the mood I'm in."

The opening track, a short guitar instrumental over an orchestral arrangements background titled "Castellorizon", set the tone in a manner Gilmour successfully did with the last two Pink Floyd albums, "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" and "The Division Bell". Here and almost all the way to the end of the disc, thin layers of shimmering sound unfold at a stately pace, and Gilmour use them as a background for his soaring, lyrical guitar solo and that ethereally expressive vocal one might be reminded of "another world". While there are occasional outing into the blues domain and slightly heavy area, for instance "Take a Breath", this album is mostly fit to accompany those who would like to have a great time by the river -- whatever the "great time" and the "river" mean.

For those who like and easily enjoy a laid-back record, this spacey and seductive album is a guarantee of satisfaction.