Photo by: ology.com
Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher are notorious for being some of the most competitive and abrasive people in the music business. The two have continued their legendary rivalry since Noel left the duo’s band Oasis in 2009.
Now, each has released a solo album; Liam with his project Beady Eye, and today Noel with his High Flying Birds.
In terms of record sales, Noel is superior to Liam – High Flying Birds’ self titled album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, while Liam’s Beady Eye only managed to make it to number three.
However, this album is not justified in its success. While Liam channeled John Lennon on his solo effort, Noel seems only to channel cheesy rock-pop. The record is over-produced and each song seems desperate to be a winning single. Nothing on this album is as catchy or memorable as classic Oasis material.
“Everybody’s On The Run” wastes no time jumping into a repetitive choral and orchestral swell that eventually becomes white noise on this album. The track sounds big enough to carry its expectations but soon the vocals come in and immediately show this album’s true platform.
The backing tracks on each of these songs are so generic that only the vocals can carry the melody (an old pop trick), but Noel’s voice is over-affected and indistinguishable from any of the other bland modern rock voices on the radio.
The album drags along until it reaches the lead single, “The Death of You and Me.” For the first time, the instrumentation is somewhat memorable and the chorus shows promise of popular success, but this still cannot be mistaken for true artistry.
The next song, “(I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine” starts like an acoustic ballad, which is another relief from the mindless rock mush that precedes it. Soon, however, the song falls right back into the uniform radio-rock pattern and doesn’t waiver until its last note.
“AKA…What a Life!” shows again the album’s deep emphasis on the vocals. There isn’t a hook to be found musically and the band seems to cycle through chords robotically. The album remains muddy and indistinct.
There is a slight turn on the final two tracks. “(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach” begins with the album’s sharpest, bluesiest riff yet and “Stop the Clocks” is less densely populated with instruments, but two songs breaking the formula are not enough to salvage this mess.
On this album, Noel Gallagher seems more motivated by surpassing his brother on the charts than making a cohesive artistic statement. The Brit-rock starved public across the pond already seems to be enjoying it, but High Flying Birds does not progress music in the slightest.
