Tracks
Also by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
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After I finished listening to all of Oasis's albums and fell in love with their music, I was so excited to see that both of the Gallagher brothers had gone solo after the band broke up. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and his debut album of the same title help fill the void left by his departure from Oasis; yet it has an originality that separates it from his former compositions with Oasis. Less rock and more '60s psychedelia. The album and most of its tracks are a good length, not too long and a few could even be longer (not something I say often!). Many of the tracks feature almost big-band jazzy sections that help define the album and make it unique.
"Everybody's on the Run" is a great opener, kicks off strong with a choral sound at the beginning and in background. "AKA What a Life" has a fast upbeat tempo but an almost eerie sound, the heavy beat of piano and drums never lets up. When "(Stranded On) the Wrong Beach" starts, it sounds to me classic rock song; I'd say it's the most rock-oriented track on the album. Keeps up that eerie sound however, concluding with about 20 seconds of the sound of crashing waves.
My second favorite track so far is "Dream On"; opens with a heavy guitar riff that leads into an extremely catchy song with powerful lyrics. "The Death of You and Me" is easily my favorite, though. Starts off with a relaxed swagger and the tension builds appropriately as the story is told, trying to get free from the dreary life that would imprison the title characters. I recommend watching the music video for this one - it even ends on a cliffhanger! These two tracks add to the jazzy feel with the saxophone, trombone, and trumpet even.
I like the theme of dreaming shown in "AKA Broken Arrow" and "Stop the Clocks" - both have lyrics that talk about living and dying in a dream, and how would you know the difference? "Stop the Clocks" is an absolutely beautiful, mellow and relaxing song that evokes a dreamy feel, bringing back the choir from the opening track in ethereal background vocals.
So "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" stands well on its own, and not just because it's "that guy from Oasis." It holds up strong on its own merit and is one of my favorite albums of any band. Five stars.
"Everybody's on the Run" is a great opener, kicks off strong with a choral sound at the beginning and in background. "AKA What a Life" has a fast upbeat tempo but an almost eerie sound, the heavy beat of piano and drums never lets up. When "(Stranded On) the Wrong Beach" starts, it sounds to me classic rock song; I'd say it's the most rock-oriented track on the album. Keeps up that eerie sound however, concluding with about 20 seconds of the sound of crashing waves.
My second favorite track so far is "Dream On"; opens with a heavy guitar riff that leads into an extremely catchy song with powerful lyrics. "The Death of You and Me" is easily my favorite, though. Starts off with a relaxed swagger and the tension builds appropriately as the story is told, trying to get free from the dreary life that would imprison the title characters. I recommend watching the music video for this one - it even ends on a cliffhanger! These two tracks add to the jazzy feel with the saxophone, trombone, and trumpet even.
I like the theme of dreaming shown in "AKA Broken Arrow" and "Stop the Clocks" - both have lyrics that talk about living and dying in a dream, and how would you know the difference? "Stop the Clocks" is an absolutely beautiful, mellow and relaxing song that evokes a dreamy feel, bringing back the choir from the opening track in ethereal background vocals.
So "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" stands well on its own, and not just because it's "that guy from Oasis." It holds up strong on its own merit and is one of my favorite albums of any band. Five stars.