Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Council Skies
Noel Gallagher’s fourth solo album will delight both fans of Oasis and those who prefer his solo work. There’s a perfect balance between recent work and the style he perfected when writing his former band’s b-sides which became as important as the hits. Dead To The World with its gentle delivery, strings and Gallic-sounding accordion is further evidence that Gallagher’s gift for writing keeps Noel in a league of his own. Few can match his penchant for knocking out hooky singles such as Pretty Boy and the buoyant Open The Door, See What You Find featuring Johnny Marr on guitar.
There She Blows is another nod to The La’s, the magic of Lee Mavers remains an endless well that Noel draws upon, much like that other key influence; the late Burt Bacharach. In recent sets, he has been performing the Bacharach-flavoured Oasis b-side Going Nowhere which fits perfectly among the new material such as the title track.
Council Skies summons American highways, sunglasses and cocktail parties of another era despite being about the council estate where he grew up in Burnage, Manchester. Easy Now will further satisfy Oasis fans with its melancholic verse that erupts into a euphoric sing-along. There’s also a nod to fellow Mancunians the Bee Gees and their 1972 hit Run To Me.
Think Of A Number delivers a beautiful Bowie-flavoured twist at the end of the album. Noel keeps the vinyl dream alive with a flawless song collection to get lost in.
Noel Gallagher is playing at Glasgow Hydro on 20 December
