When the Pink Floyd guitarist released his debut solo album in 1978, it was obvious he was frustrated with his Pink Floyd day gig. The songs here are surprisingly reeled in, shorter and more accessible in the short term; they reveal a guitarist/songwriter out to make a name for himself. So it’s not a stretch to say this is a concise version of what Floyd was doing then (it came out between Animals and The Wall). The linchpin is the gently cascading “There’s No Way Out of Here,” a FM radio hit that Gilmour had cowritten in 1976 with a woefully overlooked band he produced called Unicorn. The spare “No Way” tells of what Floyd life might’ve been like then, while “Short and Sweet” showcases Gilmour’s strengths—the ethereal power chords and vocals foreshadow “Run Like Hell” from The Wall. Both “So Far Away” and “I Can’t Breathe Anymore” expose moments of true tenderness—songwriting that transcends time and place—while the straight-up rockers “Cry from the Street” and “Deafinitely” are sturdy example of ’70s prog.