Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Chasing Yesterday
SOUR MASH
6/10
At this point in Noel Gallagher’s career, no one should truly be surprised by what the former Oasis songwriter has up his sleeve. Upon the release of his High Flying Birds’ self-titled debut in 2011, many questioned how many good songs Gallagher had left in his repertoire. O they of little faith! His brand-new sophomore album, Chasing Yesterday, builds off of those origins and demonstrates real growth from the elder Gallagher—including the epic, yet strange sax riff at the end of “Riverman” and the bouncy (dare we say dancey?) lead single “Ballad Of The Mighty I.” There are moments where you wonder what would happen if Liam had manned the vocals (“Lock All the Doors,” cough), but now it’s hard not to appreciate that leaving Oasis was the key to a reinvigorated Noel Gallagher. If Chasing Yesterday is Gallagher dipping his toes into new influences, it will be hard to miss when he dives into a musical evolution headfirst. It’ll definitely make a big splash.
