Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit FLAC, Columbia 88875123262 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

Sounding much more like a Pink Floyd album than last year’s ‘Endless Album’ of cutting-room sweepings [Endless River; reviewed here], David Gilmour’s first solo outing for almost a decade has all the familiar traits and musical clues to keep the faithful more than happy. There’s the soaring guitar, and little things like the title track fading out into steam-hammer-like industrial sounds. Similarly, the track ‘Faces Of Stone’ might well have come from any Floyd album you care to mention. And Mrs Gilmour, Polly Samson, can write perfectly Floydesque lyrics! With exemplary production and sound, and a guest roster encompassing David Crosby and Graham Nash, Robert Wyatt and Jools Holland, this is just what you might expect from David Gilmour as he approaches the ripe age of 70 – although some might suggest that’s both its greatest strength and its major weakness. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Analogue noise levels vary by up to 20dB on this 96kHz download with trk 5, ‘Dancing Right...’ one of the highest. Others show some sampling artefacts[trk 8 ‘...Yellow Dress’ – see Graph], but most remaining tracks look clean. PM