After Noel and Liam Gallagher parted ways in 2009, the latter formed Beady Eye with his former Oasis bandmates, including guitarists Gem Archer and Andy Bell (Brit music luminaries in their own right, as members of Heavy Stereo and Ride, respectively) and drummer Chris Sharrock, who has played in numerous Brit acts since the 80s.
Unsurprisingly, Different Gear, Still Speeding sounds very much like an Oasis record. Lost are Noel's more modern flourishes, as Liam is content to play directly from a 60s songbook. The album's artwork features a little girl riding a crocodile and is set on a stamped canvas with the tinsel of patina, channeling absurdist pop art of the swingin' decade. The songs all tread familiar ground, with recognizable arrangements and repetitive lyrics that speak to the grand "dream." The whole package is arrogant, rife with boyish bravado and unapologetically derivative. Yet, in the face of overly polished, disposable studio-manufactured pop icons and indie darlings who trend unique by sounding alike, Different Gear is refreshing and sounds new. The songs are loose, freewheeling, making for carefree listening. It shouldn't be taken too seriously, and that's the charm.
The last Oasis album, Dig Out Your Soul, closed the Brit Pop icon's oeuvre on a decidedly psychedelic note, and the Liam-led Different Gear picks up where it left off, albeit in a gentler, more subdued guise. "Four Letter Word" launches the record with wah-wah guitars, feedback, strings and a driving rock rhythm foundation that has more vitality than anything Oasis put out in the last decade. Gallagher's voice sounds fresh when he snarls: Sleep walk away your life/if that turns you on/it's all in a moment/look away and it's gone/it's about time that your mind took a holiday/you're all grown up/don't you ever want to play? The track plays out with a rambling exit and Gallagher emphatically repeating, "nothing ever lasts forever" - a somewhat deliberate acknowledgment of Oasis' demise. Andy Bell lends his songwriting to "Millionaire," a tired, countrified acoustic splash further sullied by lyrical drivel (The way I see it now so clear/like diamonds on the water). Gallagher's idolatry and ego collide on "Beatles and Stones" as he convincingly (if laughably) proclaims: I'm going to stand the test of time/like Beatles and Stones, atop an ever-so-slightly reworked "My Generation" chord progression.
"The Roller" is a bog standard rock nugget with a singalong chorus that was made for lad culture revelry, while "Bring the Light" is an infectious Pretty Things–esque freakbeat bash, the soundtrack for a rave-up – the backing R&B singers are a pleasant bonus. Gallagher channels AM Gold in "For Anyone," proving his vocal range extends beyond a nasally growl, while bouncy, jangling guitars and upbeat strumming à la America punctuate the summery palette. "Standing on the Edge of the Noise," with its revved up guitars and horns, pays not-so-subtle tribute to the Who's "5:15," and the nearly 7-minute long "Wigwam" is a psych-rock indulgence that trundles on in a hypnotic stupor. The album's closing track, "Morning Son," follows similar suit, as Gallagher's heavily reverbed vocals propel a one-dimensional ballad during which he sings: So let it be and give it time/you go your way and I'll go mine. On Different Gears, Gallagher's gone his own way, and he seems to be having the time of his life. Watch the Beady Eye video for "Four Letter Word" on page two...
