Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Sour Mash ***

Since Oasis split, Liam, Gem and Andy have swaggered on as Beady Eye. Noel, meanwhile, took refuge in the studio, working with various musicians to craft enough material for two albums. (The second one, a psychedelic affair made with Amorphous Androgynous, is out soon). So, has Noel reinvented himself? Well, no, but he's making better use of his now-familiar palette: the jangly guitars, the jaunty beats, the parroting backing vocals, and the liberal use of minor and major seventh chords. Everybody's on the Runcontains an unwise lyrical nod to Live Foreverand If I Had a Gun…bounces off Wonderwalla few times. Still, The Death of You and Meis less whimsical than the vaudevillian rhythm suggests, while AKA…What a Life!and (Stranded on) The Wrong Beachsuggest that these birds might just fly higher than expected.

Download tracks: The Death of You and Me, AKA…What a Life!