Oh, and another thing

In the last few days, we have also managed to accumulate a few more CDs for the collection, including:
On An Island, David Gilmour. For diehard Gilmour/Floyd fans, this is a good album. Gilmour experiments a little, including a very bluesy sound on one track, but delivers the trademark Gilmour sound – especially on vocals and, of course, guitar. The best track for my taste is the title track, which is the first single. On the other hand, it took a couple of listenings for me to decide I really liked the song; the album as a whole strikes me as a ‘grows on you’ deal.
One motivating factor is price – we picked it up for $14, which for a new album from a very marketable name is a steal.
One complaint – the packaging. It’s pretty, and somewhat innovative, but it does squat to actually protect the CD, it’s not likely to stand up well under travel conditions (in the car, in a backpack, etc.) and it doesn’t fit well or extract easily from the standard CD rack.
Chemical City, Sam Roberts. Aside from the sense of obligation as a Montrealer to support Sam Roberts, I really like the music. The first album, We Were Born in a Flame was great – each track sounds different, the lyrics are good, the music is catchy. Granted, there’s nothing terribly alternative going on; the music is all MOR radio accessible. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The new album starts with a great riff in the lead track, ‘The Gate,’ and continues on a similarly catchy, fun tone for the rest of the album. In keeping with the philosophy that included lyrics like ‘s-o-c-i-a-l-i-s-m is here to stay’ on the first album, this one includes a track titled ‘An American Draft Dodger in Thunder Bay.’
Not as cheap as the Gilmour album, but slightly more practical packaging (what the heck is wrong with the good ol’ jewel case, anyway?). Both albums include the lyrics, which I always count as a plus.