Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Council Skies
(Sour Mash)
4 out of 5 stars
Dedicated Oasis fans were distraught when that band, led by Liam and Noel Gallagher, dissolved in 2009 amongst a torrent of bad vibes and recriminations between the brothers. But when both frontmen recorded their expected solo projects, many breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of one Oasis release every few years, the brothers have delivered excellent albums, six of ‘em, since the group’s dissolution. None sound exactly like Oasis but are close enough to not alienate the outfit’s millions of followers.
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Noel, initially the lone Gallagher songwriting brother, now returns with his first set in six years. Council Skies retreats from the more propulsive psychedelic, glammy, and dance influences of the impressive Who Built the Moon? in 2017 to a more tranquil, but by no means snoozy mood. The first collection recorded in his own studio often sounds so much like Oasis (albeit without Liam’s vocals), that these ten tracks could easily be credited to that group.
Those memorable, sweeping, soaring melodies the older Gallagher is known for prevail. Horns adorn some selections but it’s the strings, recorded at Abbey Road, which push these songs from very good to the next level. It’s obvious that the guy who wrote “Don’t Look Back in Anger” also penned this disc’s similarly constructed “Easy Now,” or that the rocking drums powering “Love is a Rich Man” can be traced back to the harder-edged tunes from Oasis.
Beatles’ influences still hover around the periphery, especially on “Think of a Number” with metronomic percussion underlying spiraling chords and the downbeat lyrics of Right now the people are dancing / While the world slips away / There’s no time for love and romancing. Amazing stuff.
Noel claims that “Dead to the World” is “…by some distance my favorite tune on the album,” and it’s clear why. The ballad begins with a softly strummed guitar, gradually rising to a full-blown epic complete with glockenspiel and powerful, perfectly placed strings like those on Elton John’s earliest releases. Its four glorious minutes add up to one of the finest entries in Gallagher’s catalog, which is saying plenty.
Better still, it leads into “Open the Door, See What You Find,” another soon-to-be classic imploring listeners to do what the title suggests and Don’t put your head in the sand as violins surge and crest. The Latin rhythms of “Council Skies” enhances the romance of Gallagher singing ‘Cause life is unpredictable / You can win or lose it all/Underneath the council sky / I found you as orchestration deepens the groove.
Acknowledgment also goes to co-producer/multi-instrumentalist Paul “Strangeboy” Stacey for helping craft and refine these tunes, bringing spectacle and melodrama without pretension or the bloat that often results.
Rumors of an Oasis reunion continue to circulate but with music as moving and resonant as that on Gallagher’s Council Skies, why bother?
Photo by Matt Crockett / Permanent Press Media
