Album Review: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday

Guest Review by Derek Obregon

Noel Gallagher is one of the most recognized voices from the ’90s, and his countless hits with Oasis have firmly entrenched his rock god status. Despite our tepid review of his last album, it’s good to see Gallagher continue to pump out high-quality rock and roll with Chasing Yesterday, the second album from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. This album is a steady mix of straight rock ‘n’ roll riffs and ballad-like songs aiming to keep the piano alive and well. There are also some forays into blues and jazz, complete with heavy saxophone work in “The Right Stuff.”

“Do The Damage” is the second single on the album, and its strongest song – the video aint’ bad either. The song has a nice old school rock ‘n’ roll feel to it that gets straight to the point. The subject matter is a little tired, but that may even be the same reason why it’s an instantly good song.

Chasing Yesterday‘s first single, “In The Heat of the Moment,” is a simpler song featuring Noel’s signature melodies. It explores getting through the tough times in life by comparing it to being lead to death by the gallows. Heavier lyrics like “In the heat of the moment, whether thunder or lightning comes, I know that you’ll be by my side,” are followed immediately by “Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah’s” that elicit schoolyard banter and remind the listener to approach difficulty with levity. (Check out the bonus Toydrum Remix of this song for something completely different – a jungle sound with a pulsating rhythm that pulls you along the entire length of the song.)

“Ballad of the Mighty I” is a surprise tune with a very funky bass groove. As guitars build on the introductory piano, the song takes on an anthem-rock feel that could fill a stadium easily. The backup vocal melodies round out this beautiful and well-crafted track.

Though he just released Chasing Yesterday, Noel let it slip that he is nearly done with his third album with High Flying Birds. Enjoy this album now, but expect more from him soon.