Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Gallagher. That name has made history more than once (probably three times I would say, but Rory Gallagher is not related to our protagonists). The two Gallaghers brothers are well known to the public, either for their great music, or for their "sex, drugs and rock'n'roll" behavior.

These lads originally from Manchester were the core of my personal favorite Rock band: Oasis. The story of this band is very strange. Liam, the singer, first started a band with his friends under the name "The Rain", but without much success. On the other side, Noel, who had inherited his father's dexterity at the guitar, was touring with rock stars, playing guitar for them. Noel got interested in his smaller brother's band and one day simply said he would join their band only if they'd let him compose all the songs. The other members agreed and their rise to success started. 

Noel's composition genius really stood out, even though they were performing in the most competitive country in terms of Rock: the United Kingdom. Over the years, they gave us incredible songs such as Wonderwall (although it derives from their original style), Champagne Supernova, Whatever, Supersonic, Live Forever, the list goes on. In 2007, they were nominated by NME as the second best band in Rock history, after the Beatles, in competition with bands such as Blur or Coldplay (in their good years). All of their studio albums have been n°1 in the charts in Great Britain... I could go on forever about this band.

However, the two brothers did not get along at all. Their rivalry and their personal pride led to very strong arguments. The last argument was in 2009, in Paris, just before their concert in Rock en Seine. Liam in fury smashed their father's guitar, which had been given to Noel. The oldest brother enraged announced he was leaving the band for good. Oasis ended that night, leaving the Parisians without a show.

Noel was really the genius behind this band, and even though Oasis democratised over the years, he was still composing most of the songs. He announced after his departure, the beginning of his solo carrier, which I awaited eagerly. He announced his comeback last year with the band "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" and released his first "solo" album named after the band.

Through this album I re-lived Oasis' genius, with very orchestral songs, mixing Rock and a bit of  fanfare in some songs, giving it a unique sound. I was very excited to discover this album and was pleasantly surprised by its quality, its originality, while still maintaining the basics which had once taken Oasis to the top.

Good on you Noel.

Here is an extract (my favorite as always)

Enjoy:

Everybody's on the Run - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds