Tuesday Listening- Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

With all the constant infighting and he-said-he-said between the Gallagher brothers of Oasis, it can be hard to remember that they are actually capable of making great music. Except lately...not together.  But just because they are currently not the best of friends doesn't mean they stopped making music.  Good music, too.

Noel's solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, (aside from being a mouthful) released their debut album today, and while many may have been expecting this to be an uneventful album, we can pleasantly show any of those preconceived notions the door.  The current and first single from the album in the US is "If I Had A Gun..."which immediately harkens back to old-school Oasis.  This little number, while not appearing till track 3, is my suggested starting place, as it gives the listener some hope that the man who wrote "Wonderwall" still has some amazing tunes up his sleeve.

Noel, known as the man behind the lyrics for Oasis, proves -without needing much fanfare- that his sleeves are still full indeed, so you can look forward to more of that lyrical brilliance in this solo project. While brother Liam was the primary front vocalist in Oasis, Noel's vocals hold their own on this solo work.  You can also look forward to familiar-yet-new driving melodies and melancholic tones that are the signature of brit-pop - a genre of music started and driven largely in part by Oasis.  Noel hasn't forgotten what works on this album, but he also stretches his limbs out a bit on tracks like "AKA...What a Life!" which sounds, gasp!, like a dance track.  Don't be afraid, dear Oasis fans- he pulls it off, and with a swagger one would never expect from a perceived moody Englishman attempting a solo project from one of the world's biggest bands.  Then again, what else would you expect?

You can listen to the album in its entirety for free for a bit at RollingStone.com HERE
On Spotify HERE
And buy the album here: