Review: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds













“I’m free to be whatever I, whatever I choose and I’ll sing the blues if I want”. Never have the lyrics to Oasis‘ 1994 single ‘Whatever‘ sounded so pertinent.

Now liberated from the restraint of the Oasis vehicle, which to an extent became a redundant medium for Noel’s songwriting output in recent years; the chief is now free to flex his creative muscles and experiment with ideas that we only ever saw glimpses of in his former band. It doesn’t feel as if they’ve been gone that long as we became accustomed to the dreaded gap between album releases, and coincidentally we’d be almost due a new record from them by now.

Instead, we’re on the cusp of Noel’s debut solo release and there’s something in the air that makes this the most exciting build up to a new record involving a Gallagher since 1997′s ‘Be Here Now‘. Why? because we’ve been waiting for what feels like an eternity for it, and this will be the first record consisting solely of Noel Gallagher penned tracks since that aforementioned album.

The dust still hasn’t settled since the events of over two years ago in Paris. Noel and Liam have continued to air their dirty laundry in public with constant bickering back and forth in the press. Accusations of plum throwing and “high flying turd” quips have dominated the column inches, but it’s all gone a bit quiet on the war of words front since Liam upped the ante by getting lawyers involved after comments Noel made about him during a press conference.

The brothers will no doubt reconcile at some point down the line, but whether they’ll ever record together again is another question. The PR machine for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is in full swing now, and attention has refreshingly turned back to the music.

The demise of Oasis might have been hard to swallow, but on the flip side Noel has broken free from the shackles of a band that since 2005 – a period that sparked a resurgence in his songwriting, held him back from putting out a wealth of material that will inevitably feature on his forthcoming solo albums. ‘Don’t Believe The Truth‘ and ‘Dig Out Your Soul‘ featured some of their finest material since ‘…Morning Glory‘, but it’s frustrating to imagine how much better they might have been if Noel had written every song on those albums.

The democracy in songwriting may have been healthy for the band’s chemistry, but as Noel reacquainted himself with his love for writing he could probably have filled those records with all his own tracks without sacrificing any quality. Via his own admission, he had also built up a stock pile of songs that sat around collecting dust in the vaults because they never fitted in with the ‘Oasis sound’.

All being well, Noel’s solo album could have been sandwiched between the standard 2-3 year period between Oasis’ records, but this idea would never have sat well with Liam who once said of solo album rumours after Noel’s walkout of their Giants tour in 2000: “If you’re not thinking about Oasis when you’re in Oasis, then you shouldn’t be in Oasis”. Beady Eye silenced a lot of their critics with a satisfactory debut effort, but it was always going to be Noel’s record that the majority of fans anticipated the most. After all, he wrote the songs that mattered, the ones which have become part of the fabric in British society. It might have taken blood, sweat, tears and lawyers to get here but perhaps this was just a rite of passage Noel had to endure for him to finally reach this inevitable point of his career. The trademark cocksure arrogance we’ve come to expect from Noel in the run up to a new release has been notably diluted. He’s been making far less noise about this one. So does the music speak loud enough for itself?

Opening the album in spectacularly grandiose fashion is the dramatic ‘Everybody’s On The Run‘. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology this one has been floating around the internet for a while in the shape of a soundcheck, but now it’s been given the Dave Sardy treatment and the results are astonishing. The first few seconds of coughs and some incoherent mumbling are soon bulldozed by a marching beat and choir. Taking a deep breath it then slows down, fades out and makes way for Noel, who roars like a tenor from the depths of his stomach. “You can’t fight the feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelin”. The string’s really take off by the fourth minute and provide an epic finale to what is arguably the finest song on the album.

‘Dream On‘ is care free, pure pop indulgence. It’s also the first example of several tracks that carry a very strong Kinks influence. A moody piano contrasts an upbeat, stomping rhythm which makes this unashamedly brilliant, pub jukebox fodder. Should it have been the first single? Well, certainly in terms of commercial viability it ticks all the boxes, but musically it is inferior to ‘The Death Of You and Me‘, which has much more layers to devour. Its irresistible catchy bridge glides beautifully into a big chorus of “Dreeeeeeeeam on..” Noel hasn’t sounded like he’s had this much fun in years.

Dark, moody and beautifully haunting; ‘If I Had a Gun‘ is also responsible for producing one of the most memorable hooks of the album. “Excuse me if I spoke too soon..” is made of the stuff that Noel’s earliest songs were sprung from. It’s a ballad that follows a chord structure that he may have revisited several times before, but if the method isn’t broke then why try and fix it? The decision to give this track the full electric treatment might divide fans who have been drooling over a live acoustic version on YouTube for the last two years. The full band approach does strip away some of its appeal, but the song is so good that it doesn’t suffer from it.
Noel has clearly been listening to The Kinks. A lot. It’s no surprise as they did inspire one of the best compositions to come out of the latter half of Oasis’ career – ‘The Importance Of Being Idle‘, and their influence on his songwriting is scattered all over this album. ‘The Death Of You And Me’ bleeds The Kinks and shares a lot in common with the aforementioned Oasis track, but manages to find its own identity in the shape of some mild experimentation. A brass solo which had jaws dropping with both excitement and bewilderment when the track was first premiered sounds right at home on this album.

The first of two tracks Noel has stated were intended for previous Oasis albums begins with ‘(I Wanna Live In A Dream) In My Record Machine‘. It’s not a great deal different to the demo version that has been doing the rounds on the internet for a good while now, but it bites alot harder; slightly faster than the demo and with a more impassioned, aggressive vocal from Noel.

Dave Sardy has polished the track and given it a very shiny spark, it also features a rare commodity on the album – a guitar solo. “You can’t give me a reason, I don’t need one to shine” is on par with the bridge in ‘If I Had A Gun’. Spine tingling stuff. Despite all its merits – could Noel have done more with this track? Probably. Perhaps ‘Be Here Now’ is the devil on his shoulder, holding him back from really going out on a limb and fleshing this one out. An Amorphous Androgynous take on the track might be a little more fruitful.

At the midway point of the album we arrive at ‘AKA…What A Life‘, not quite the huge step out of his comfort zone that many might have expected. Within the context of the album, and the journey it takes us on, it fits perfectly and glues the two halves of the record together. After three mid paced tracks it’s a revitalising slap in the face. It remains to be seen whether this will also feature on the Amorphous record as it does lend itself to a more experimental sound that could be manipulated no end. Developed a bit more and perhaps a neat little guitar solo thrown in toward the end, this could have been one of the best on the album. Criticism aside, it’s one of the most refreshing songs on the record and boasts a ridiculously catchy melody.
‘Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks‘ steers us back into Kinks territory with a ‘Dead End Street‘ vibe and even a lyrical nod toward to one of the band’s albums. “All the people on the village green have gathered round their TV screens..” Guitars make way for trumpets which dominate the track and the mood turns to more serious subject matters after taking tigers outside for a ride.. Its chorus of “on and on weeeeeeee go..” is not like anything Noel has written before.

‘AKA…Broken Arrow‘ may very well be the one above all others on the album that splits opinion. A heavily acoustic driven, mid paced number with bongos that lacks the immediacy of the preceding tracks. Lyrically it is ‘Stop The Clocks‘ counterpart, sharing the same themes.”If I die in a dream, then let me live my life..” It marks a turning point in the record that sounds less hopeful than the previous tracks. Doubt, insecurity and darker subject matters are embarked on. It is the weakest song on the album, but this is not a huge criticism when taking into consideration the overall standard of the songs. New b-side ‘Let The Lord Shine A Light On Me‘ might have been a smarter move. Nevertheless, Noel’s been quite careful with quality control and there isn’t a stand out dud on the entire album.

Never mind all that talk of ‘AKA…What a Life’ being disco – what about ‘(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach’? This is a sleazy slice of pop and far removed from the Noel Gallagher of old. Goldfrapp meets The Kinks with a subtle, moody, glam stomp, and there’s a continuation in the lyrical theme that has taken a U-turn somewhat in the latter half of the album. “Pour me one for the road, its a long journey baby, and where it’s gonna take me just depends on the weight of my load”. It’s glaringly obvious example of a song that would have never made it onto an Oasis album. It closes with the lyrics “sinking in the quick sand, stranded on the wrong beach, come and rescue me” and ends with sounds of the ocean.

Once described as the best song he’s ever written, later demoted to one of the best song’s he’s ever written, ‘Stop The Clocks’ closes Noel’s debut solo album, and what a wait it has been to finally hear a finished version of a track that’s been talked about for nearly ten years. There are allegedly up to six versions of it in the vaults, and that bestows a mammoth weight of expectation on this one. Noel’s homage to The La‘s ‘Looking Glass‘ has been worth the painful wait.

Fresher and with more vigour than the demo version, it also includes female backing vocals which are a subtle yet sweet addition to the song. It builds and builds until its explosive eruption of squealing guitars and a less defined guitar solo than the demo that is much more Matt Bellamy than Noel Gallagher. If it is true this won’t be played live, it is a crying shame that the dying moments of this track are not witnessed on stage as it’s one of the few moments on the album where Noel really lets loose with his guitar. Remember ‘Champagne Supernova‘ at Earls court 1995? There’s no doubt fans would kill to see Noel give the same sort of treatment to this song, stretching it out for 10 minutes and tearing his strings to pieces.

This is an album not short of variety. A healthy mix of classic Noel interspersed with fresh ideas and experimentation with new sounds which make this a very rewarding listen. The production is rich, glossy and inventive as the record is peppered with different sounds that make it quirky and unpredictable. Noel dips his toe into unfamiliar territory, particularly on the second half of the album, and it proves to be a healthy leap forward in his songwriting. He draws from the same old influences, but with a new twist by diversifying his use of instruments and thinking outside the box a little bit more. Guitars take on a less paramount role and make way for trumpets and piano and unsurprisingly the entire album is bursting at the seams with melody and hooks. The first half of the record is undoubtedly better than the second, but it does redeem itself with ‘Stop The Clocks’.

Satisfying, and at times unbelievably good, it’s the kind of album that doesn’t tell the full story the first time round, but it’s a journey that warrants the repeat button again and again.

(Matt Humphrey)
* Released: 17 October 2011
* Label: Sour Mash
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download

Source: www.live4ever.uk.com
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