Review Summary: "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" ranks very high on my best of 2011 list. I was very pleased with the overall quality of the album. It flows very well from track to track without a single let down song in the mix. Better then Oasis!
This is the first review that I have posted to Sputnik, so be easy on me. I decided to keep it short and sweet. I hope this is appreciated and useful. Cheers.
Noel Gallagher's new release titled "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" is one of the strongest albums released in 2011. The former
Oasis guitarist and song writer seems re-energized after his highly publicized split with his brother Liam and the band in 2009. After many years of turbulence between the brothers, Liam and Noel fought after an August 2009 concert that immediately led to Noel permanently leaving the band.
"...High Flying Birds" was recorded in London and L.A. between 2010 and 2011. The album grabs the listeners attention from the opening chords of "Everybody's On The Run" (the album's first track) to the final disheveled yet purposeful notes of "Stop the Clocks", the closing track of the record. The collection of songs is likely Gallagher's best work since
Oasis' 1995 monster success "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?". There isn't a track worth skipping on the entire album. In fact, every song is very good. This album really proves that the art of making "an album" (as opposed to a collection of songs or a single amongst a bunch of filler) is definitely not dead. After the break up of
Oasis Noel Gallagher said it was very important to him to write a collection of songs about love and positivity. His uplifted mindset is clearly evident on this collection.
Highlights include "(I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine" and "Aka... What A Life". The center tracks of the album, these songs are full of the melodies and and beautiful arrangements that made
Oasis so special, yet they hold a unique place as Noel's vocals rain down over the musical sound-scapes. Another outstanding track, the previously mentioned "Stop the Clocks", was originally written in 2001 and recorded for
Oasis' 2004 release "Don't Believe the Truth", but it was eventually cut from the final track listing. Gallagher has said that if the song had not made this album it would "never officially be released". After reworking and re-recording the song, it was chosen as the album closer. The song slowly builds with beautifully layered vocals and acoustic guitar and picks up momentum until it finishes with a flurry leaving the listener exhilarated.
This album easily ranks as one of my favorites of 2011. The two additional tracks (which are also two of my favorites in the collection) and the 30 minute making of the album documentary DVD titled "It's Never Too Late To Be What U Might Have Been" easily make the Deluxe addition worth having.
Download this Track: Aka...What A Life!
