Noel Gallagher takes it to another level...
If we count the EPs released in 2019 and the sprinkling of singles put out during the pandemic, we're into fifth album territory for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Oasis' fifth effort was 'Heathen Chemistry', arguably the most toe-the-line album Noel has ever put out. On his fifth solo album, the ex-Oasis leader seems to have landed on a perfect balance between doing what he's great at, and finding new ground, in what is surely his best solo effort to date.
The album somehow manages to mix the more palatable aspects of his recent experimentation with different instrumentation and structures with the traditional songwriting he's known for, whilst feeling coherent and perfectly weighted. Songs like 'Easy Now' and 'We're Gonna Get There In The End' could have sat on any Oasis album. Opener 'I'm Not Giving Up Tonight' sets the stall out for something different with a patient build up that evolves into pure euphoria. Early singles 'Pretty Boy' and 'Dead To The World' mix elements of electronica and Bacharach that hinted at something special, and in the new tracks that pad out the album, the theme continues with gorgeous strings and sugary 60s melodies.
'There She Blows!' is one of the album's stand out highlights. Noel's tight harmonies sit on top of a perfect groove sounding equal parts Chasing Yesterday and Abbey Road. Equal to it, 'Love Is A Rich Man' sounds like pure Brian Jonestown Massacre circa 1996 mixed with The Byrds. Both of these tracks are the perfect foil for the ethereal qualities of 'Think Of A Number' and 'Council Skies'. You can't listen to any of these songs without wondering how brilliant they'll sound live.
As a collection of tracks, it's a perfect summation of Noel Gallagher's solo career to date, mixing influencers new and old, testing new ground and solidifying the foundations of one of the best songwriters Britain has ever produced.