Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds


Just before we start: yes, I'm team Noel. Yes, Liam Gallagher's a cunt. Yes, their feud is boring now. Yes, this is better than the Beady Eye album. That's all that'll be said of the UK's favourite music topic here. The tabloid spats are all quite irrelevant really when you consider the music on offer; and it's some of Noel's strongest in his entire career.

Opener 'Everybody's on the Run' positions Gallagher in a gritty motivational epic that thrusts strings, tambourines and heavy percussions at the listener with gusto, virtually yelling "Hang in there, love!" As blustery and exciting as it may be, it fades into comparison when pit against the classic songwriting that's to follow: 'Dream On' is classic Oasis from start to finish. Slightly nonsense lyrics are effectively veiled with a stomper of a rhythm and tune.


The single 'If I Had A Gun...' muses beautifully:
Let me fly you to the moon/
My eyes have always followed you around the room/
'Cos you're the only God that I will never need/
I'm holding on and waiting for the moment to find me

with a hint of '(What's the Story?) Morning Glory' in terms of the backdrop. The debut single 'The Death of You and Me' then strongly replicates The Importance of Being Idle's psychedelic laziness, but with a distinctive tune of its own to save it from being too similar.

One of the most exciting tracks for me, though, is 'AKA... What a Life!' - full of wistful moodiness and by far the most vocally exhilarating. There's a strong Kinks influence (although that might be the opening "village green" lyric talking) about 'Soldier Boys And Jesus Freaks', with vaguely political lyrics and a resonant brass instrumental to add to all the hubbub. I'm not quite sure what all of the 'AKA's are about but 'AKA... Broken Arrow' follows and it's another clear throwback to the early 90s material that made Oasis the enduring pop-rock Gods they...were a few years back.

It's not all Oasis-revivals though: '(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach' is darker and much more American than you'd come to expect from the Britpop giants, but for me it feels too rebellious from Gallagher's tried and tested format that it comes off as unfulfilled. Closer 'Stop the Clocks', on the other hand, a reworking of one of Noel's self-penned 'favourites', gorgeously culminates the record with choirs and a 'Champagne Supernova'-style majesty.


It might be a little shortlived, but this as a debut record was everything that 'Different Gear... Still Speeding' was not: well-written, carefully-planned and thankfully neglecting to blatantly rip-off a John Lennon tune. At least we still have one functioning Gallagher to be proud of.

Rating: 8.5/10
Highlights: AKA...What a Life!, The Death of You and Me, Stop the Clocks, AKA... Broken Arrow
Avoid: n/a

Artwork Watch: "It is blurry and blurs are mysterious and ooh is this really Noel and ooh what will it be like?" are some thoughts that you might have.
For fans of: Well... Noel Gallagher.

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