Latest album from the voice and guitar of Pink Floyd; delightful retro sounds from a young breakout star.
David Gilmour
Luck and Strange
I’ve been steadily enjoying David Gilmour’s later-day solo career since his 2006 On an Island, and this reflective, mellow and somewhat haunting record is no exception. I was also fortunate to see his phenomenal Live at the Circus Maximus concert film at the IMAX last year, where I first heard the new songs. You can’t escape the echoes of Gilmour’s old band with his signature guitar sound and still-gorgeous voice, only slightly frayed around the edges, but I still find it easy to put aside the weight of the epochal Pink Floyd classics, and enjoy this more intimate, relaxing offering on its own terms. This is not the first time Gilmour contemplated ageing and mortality, but these themes hit even harder from an artist in his twilight years.
Luck and Strange is definitely an album that I’d rather listen to in full rather than pick songs here and there; they blend into each other and are stronger as a part of a whole. Between Two Points is a standout purely for being a surprise, with a lead vocal from Gilmour’s daughter Romany, who also appeared in the concert film and gave the whole affair a rather sweet, heartwarming family feel. I like her cool, clear voice, simple in the best way; she also duets with her dad on the folksy, whimsical Yes, I Have Ghosts.
OLIVIA DEAN
The Art of Loving
I don’t do Spotify and I almost never listen to commercial radio these days, so I completely missed out on this British newcomer who apparently made a huge splash last year, and only came across her in the various Best of 2025 lists. This is the kind of tasteful neo-soul record with diary entry lyrics about love that I’d usually be bored with, however I was almost instantly charmed once I finally gave it a try. It’s too early to say if the radiant charm will stay or wear out quickly, but at the moment it’s quite a fresh, compulsive listen.
The album is a graceful marriage of vintage sound (Motown, 70s pop, Latin rhythms) and crisp modern production, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to hook me. Huge credit goes to Dean’s clean, warm vocals, not the strongest or most distinctive maybe, but still charismatic in their own understated way.
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