Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Noel Gallagher, principal songwriter for Oasis, now estranged with his brother, Liam, as the two pursue their own musical ventures individually, shows talent and class with his first full solo album offering. 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' is a modern marvel of music that showcases what ideas Noel has had brewing for the many years of Oasis' reign as well as after their dissolution. Of course we have been given tastes of Noel's solo work in certain one-off Oasis tunes such as 'The Importance of Being Idle,' 'Half The World Away,' and 'Falling Down.' But this album allows individual pieces to become cohesive in a 10-part epic of an album.The sound is very orchestral with lots of instruments and arrangements being played accompanying Noel's signature vocal flow. If I had to compare NGHFB with any Oasis track, it mirrors 'The Importance of Being Idle' the most as a whole. And while Beady Eye catered to the more 50s style rock & roll, Noel has put out a modern gem in the music industry. Don't expect Oasis out of this album, although hints can obviously be heard in many places such as 'AKA... What A Life!', the pseudo-dance track that sounds like 'Falling Down' reprise and which Liam would have absolutely refused to allow to be put on an Oasis record. The beauty of this album is that each and every song is not just another track on the album, they all come off as specially designed and passionate tunes that really sing to the heart. As the album progresses through each one of them, it really does become a musical journey through the songwriting mind of Noel Gallagher. The album has been very positively received and its #1 location on the UK charts gives me some hope that the music industry can still allow some actual musical talent to dominate the pop-scorned and rap-infested mainstream music scene.Overall, I absolutely love this album and it truly blew me away when I first popped it in. Since acquiring the album this past Tuesday I have gone through it in its entirety at least 30 times and each one just as enjoyable as the last, if not more. Do yourself a favor and buy this album without hesitation and soak it in. While Oasis remains missed and Liam's rocking vocals accompanying Noel's songs will forever be one of my favorite sounds, the Chief has put out a beautiful record that staves off the desire for a reunion.Favorite tracks:'Everybody's On The Run' (one of my new all-time favorite songs - hands down)'If I Had A Gun...''AKA... What A Life!''AKA... Broken Arrow'Madferit.November 13, 2011 UPDATE: Well, after having seen Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds live last night, you should do yourself another favor and see their show - absolutely spectacular.

I've been an Oasis fan for a very long time. I was pretty upset when they broke up... though... I kind of thought the break up wouldn't last. Low and behold, it seems to be sticking, as now both Gallagher brothers have their own projects. As much as I miss Oasis, I must admit that both solo projects have been great so far... almost great enough to make me not miss Oasis.Beady Eye's album was very solid! It had a lot of good songs and was overall very enjoyable to listen to. However... there was just something missing from it that prevented the album from being great. Now that Noel Gallagher has released his project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, I have figured out what was missing form Liam's effort: Noel.Though I respect Noel's guitar playing, I would never call him a virtuoso; and though I'm a fan of Noel's voice, I wouldn't say he's the greatest singer in the world... however what Noel really brings to the table is excellent songwriting. His songs made Oasis great, and they make High Flying Birds great.High Flying Birds represents Noel's writing at its finest. Some of the edgier hard rock grit of the Liam-sung songs from Oasis is missing from High Flying Birds, as is for the most part (strangely enough) Noel's signature guitar solos. However, the songs on the album are so well written and well performed that you do not miss the missing elements.Everybody's On The Run is a perfect opener to the album with a long spacy intro that leads to a prominent verse that you can't help but sing along to. If I Had a Gun is a beautiful song with great lyrics and a very catchy chorus. (I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine has one of the biggest choruses that Noel has written in a long time, and sounds like it could potentially be a massive single. What A Life is a more upbeat keyboard driven song that sounds like it would've worked well on Dig Out Your Soul. It's a song that makes you want to dance. It's also nice to hear Stop The Clocks make an appearance on an album finally... and the wait was worth it as the song is performed beautifully and ends the album well.I just touched on a few points with some of the songs, but really, every song on the album is great. It's hard to pick out a favorite. On High Flying Birds, Noel does not really branch out or explore many new sounds (though, a couple songs feature horns). However, the songwriting that made Oasis great is in full form. Anyone who enjoyed the music of Oasis, or just enjoys good alternative rock in general should give this album a listen.