Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds – Who Built the Moon? (Sour Mash)

Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds – Who Built the Moon? (Sour Mash)

Anyone expecting a Noel Gallagher/David Holmes collaboration to be some radical, genre-bending departure from The Usual is in for a disappointment from the off. Opener ‘Fort Knox’ is a largely instrumental, quasi-Big Beat plod with Holmes throwing the kitchen sink in whilst Gallagher and the backing singers sing “I keep holding on” and “You gotta get yourself together” and an alarm clock goes off in the background. Whilst in Gallagherworld this might be a musical revolution on a par with ‘The Rite of Spring’, ‘Mystery Train’ or ‘Autobahn’, it sounds rather dated to the rest of us, as quintessentially 1990s as Kevin Keegan getting pissed on Hooper’s Hooch with Menswear in an Irish theme pub.

But whilst Holmes hasn’t exactly dragged Noel into the 21st century just yet, he’s certainly dragged him out of his usual dadrock/Beatlemania torpor, and as a result Who Built the Moon? is a bouncy, joyous, loved-up record containing some of Gallagher’s freshest, most enjoyable music in decades. You’d have to be particularly curmudgeonly not to enjoy ‘Holy Mountain’ for example, on which Gallagher splices together Roxy’s ‘Let’s Stick Together’, Plastic Bertrand’s ‘Ca plane pour moi’ and Bowie’s ‘Diamond Dogs’ into the best boozy glam rock rabble-rouser Chinn & Chapman never wrote. As long as you ignore the lyrics of course, and with Noel you should always ignore the lyrics. “Dance dance if you do that dance I’m gonna let you join my one-man band” indeed.

Elsewhere ‘Keep On Reaching’ sees Noel (almost) transformed into an early-70s soul man, complete with fabulously horny horns; Holmes’ breakbeats make ‘It’s a Beautiful Life’ more interesting than its demo version almost certainly was; and ‘She Taught Me to Fly’ throbs along like late-period New Order. Best of all is the truly wonderful stomper ‘If Love is the Law’, all sleighbells, Johnny Marr and the best chorus Noel has written since ‘Slide Away’.

Sadly Holmes can’t completely save Noel from himself, and Oasis-phobes should give a particularly wide berth to blues plodder ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’, the Noel-by-numbers indie rock of ‘Black & White Sunshine’, and the obligatory phones-aloft stadium balladry of ‘The Man Who Built the Moon’. But if, like me, you were expecting the usual limp, flaccid fare, you’ll find Who Built the Moon? surprisingly and satisfyingly tumescent.

 

  1. You are quite possibly the worst music critic I’ve ever read. Not for any sort of reason I’m a fan of the artist which is your usual stock response to criticism but for the fact every single one of your reviews is way off the mark with its idealisms and prose. Do us a favour and set fire to whatever device you write on

  2. Christ almighty – we get it. Quit with the anodyne name dropping of hip and cool critically important artists into your reviews. There’s enough of the ‘hey I am A music muse’ nonsense by the end of first paragraph as it is.

    Even by the standards of the darkest, most lonely reaches of the ‘hip’ and ‘alternative’ chambers of the internet, this must be satire for them.

    Pretentious, yawnsome babbling that is utterly predictable it it’s attempts to appear relevant and smart yet is nothing but another sub undergraduate, pseudo intellectual attempt at proper writing while simultaneously squeezing yourself into the ‘scene setters’ you’ve long identified you want to be a part of.

    Have a day off Tim.

    1. Brilliantly put, bar the last sentence. Not a day off, just give up writing full stop because nobody will pay him to do so

      1. Hey Moi, you keep using the ‘hey you aren’t paid for writing this anyway’ line. One, you do realise that not many people DO actually get paid to write about music anymore, in this digital world? Two, does it matter?Three surely that means Tim here might be less pressured by advertising or editorial exactly because he isn’t paid?Finally I admire people with enough passion to write about music despite not being paid, it doesn’t make me think they are any less of a writer. Obviously bands and labels care enough about our views to keep sending us their music? So by all means disagree, and criticise the review but let’s leave ‘money’ out of it eh?

        1. Well sorry Bill, all I am doing is saying what I see, some paid writers are also poor I agree. My point here is Tim is a very poor writer, obviously you won’t criticize his work or he won’t write any more will he, law of the jungle not to bite the hands that feed and keep the site alive. Thing is this review is just plain wrong, the Menswear comparison is not only embarrassing to read but is just nonsensical in relation to the music on this album, I have to question did he listen to the record or cut and paste the review Bowie style from some pretty prepared cliches, if you are going to review an artist at least review from the aesthetic of his style instead of a load of prtetentoius Pitchfork like idiocy

          1. He’s not saying it sounds like menswear you muppet. He’s using menswear as an example of something obviously 90s. Or do you think he’s saying it sounds like kevin keegan as well? Learn to read and understand english properly before you criticise people’s writing!

  3. Predictable?Surely predictable would have been to have slated this based on his previous dislike of the artists solo work?I think it’s an enjoyable and open minded review personally. If you think this is pretentious I suggest you check out Pitchfork.

  4. Yes oggy I’m quite aware he’s not saying it sounds like Menswear but to even use them in this context is crass
    Tell me something that’s bugging me though, if I shout your name 3 times will you try and surprise me?

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God is in the TV is an online music and culture fanzine founded in Cardiff by the editor Bill Cummings in 2003. GIITTV Bill has developed the site with the aid of a team of sub-editors and writers from across Britain, covering a wide range of music from unsigned and independent artists to major releases.