People either loved or hated Oasis. For a mere rock band - ok, the best British rock band since The Police - it can even be argued that your opinion of them revealed more about you than them. They were a sort of musical Rorschach test. You will probably have the same sort of reaction to Beady Eye, the new band featuring all the members of Oasis sans Noel Gallagher...
...ok, politeness just got thrown out the window...
If you’re someone who thinks Oasis were a two-hit wonder band from 1995, stop reading right now and go listen to whatever all your know-nothing friends are listening to at the moment. If you think Oasis are nothing more than a Beatles rip-off band, first have your ears tested as soon as possible to rule out hearing impairment. If you get a clean bill of health, have someone kick your head repeatedly until you can’t hear anymore...
…For the rest of you, check out Different Gear, Still Speeding. If you like Oasis, you’re going to like Beady Eye. It’s got the Liam Gallagher vocal swagger, the wall-of-guitar Be Here Now moments, the mid-tempo nouveau-psychedelic excursions of Dig Out Your Soul, the wink-and-a-nod Beatles references (and rather blatantly so, on “Beatles and Stones” - ok, so maybe I was being a bit harsh earlier..), and a couple of earnest ballads. As much as Noel Gallagher may have given the impression that he was the irreplaceable brains of the band, little brother Liam and company have pulled off an album that’s every bit as good as Oasis. Noel’s absence is little more than a footnote.
Beady Eye's Different Gear, Still Speeding is deliciously mindless ear candy with all the requisite Oasis bluster.
The Swagger: "Four-Letter Word" (© 2011, Dangerbird)
The Swagger: "Four-Letter Word" (© 2011, Dangerbird)
The Mid-Tempo: “The Roller” (© 2011, Dangerbird)
The Earnest: “Kill For a Dream” (Live from Abbey Road Studios)
(© 2011, Dangerbird)
(© 2011, Dangerbird)
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