The German edition of the Rolling Stone magazine has given Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds a five star review in the current edition.
Below is a translation of the review with thanks to boardie.
Finally: Noel's best album since Morning Glory
That Beady Eye's album would be less melodic and that we would miss Liam's voice on Noel's solo debut would have seemed to be a 'plain sailing'. Nevertheless, both post-Oasis-era albums became a big surprise. Beady Eye's Different gear Still Speeding, because it is not as dull as expected. And tech-sceptical Noel deserves applause for being able to record an album in the digital age without being observed along the way. Which isn't a bad thing, since we would not have been able to deal with the long time of waiting.
Speaking of Oasis (at least in the last years) there was always too much Believe and Hope without a payoff; because our hearts always longed for more, always remebered the good old days but our minds always knew: these days will never come back.
So, did Noel hold back his best ideas over the years? It deeply seems so: Demos of 'Record Machine' and 'Stop the Clocks' were around the Internet for years, but now Noel Gallagher recorded the ultimate versions of those songs. And here is the most important difference to the later Oasis: Finally, Noel sticks to his promises.
The whole mastery of this man can be seen in the very first song, 'Everbody's On The Run', which is a majestic masterpiece and which is - despite the orchestra and the choir - not the least cheesy. The sound of the record is dominated by traditional 'golden age' British songwriting and psychedelic reminiscences. It is interrupted by occasional echoes of Oasis, but more lightly produced and less suitable for the stadium. If Coldplay hadn't become more and more predictable and boring, they might have been able to release a song as wonderful as 'AKA... What A Life!'. Ray Davies has not written a song as excellent as 'The Death Of You And Me' or 'Dream On' in ages, and by recording 'If I Had A Gun', Noel shows impressively that he is a brilliant romantic.
At some point you will miss Liam's punch, his electrifying voice. But that's the only thing to complain about. Noel's High Flying Birds is nothing less than his most substantial musical statement since Morning Glory.
Source: Rolling Stone Germany
