By Justin Muszynski
After leaving arguably the biggest British band since the Beatles, no one was quite sure what Noel’s debut solo album would sound like.
Soon after listening to the first track you realize Noel Gallagher was set out to prove he was the better half of Oasis. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds opens with “Everybody’s on the Run,” and it’s nothing short of epic. Ever since a version of it from a sound check was leaked on YouTube, Oasis fans have awaited a finalized version.
Noel doesn’t make the same mistakes that he did with Be Here Now, his latest album isn’t over bloated or overhyped. In fact, it’s rather mellow compared to his earlier work like Definitely Maybe. Songs like “If I Had a Gun” and “Record Machine (I Wanna Live in a Dream)” have moments of tranquility followed by a chorus that’s being belted out at the top of Noel’s lungs.
As you listen you’ll certainly recognize it roots from Oasis, however it’s the most uniquely sounding album Noel has ever put out. The guitar in this one is certainly different from Oasis albums. Instead of heavy distortion and a guitar riff after every other line, an array of instruments is taken advantage of along with several choirs in the background throughout the album.
“The Death of You and Me,” the first single, is like “The Importance of Being Idle” part two, an instant classic that cleverly surprises you with a brass section in the middle. “AKA What a Life” is certainly unfamiliar territory for Noel with its fast paced dance tune melody, but somehow he seems very comfortable with it.
Even songs that Noel himself described as not so good like “Dream On” deliver with lyrics that in typical Noel fashion sometimes don’t make much sense like, “The kids outside, they’re drunk up on their lemonade.”
High Flying Birds is a solid album that doesn’t bother inserting any filler songs, they’re all good. It’s better than any album Oasis has put out in the last ten years. We’ll just have to wait and see if in the long run it holds up to albums like Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story)Morning Glory. It’s certain that Liam Gallagher, his brother and former Oasis frontman, has to be questioning his choice to move on to another band without Noel.
