Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, 'The Death Of You And Me': Review

Noel Gallagher has unveiled the video for his debut single under his new moniker of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. ‘The Death Of You And Me’, which despite its title is not about his public spat with brother Liam, marks a return for Gallagher, who, unlike Beady Eye, has taken his time with his solo release since Oasis split in 2009. And upon hearing ‘The Death Of You And Me’, this steady return has certainly been beneficial.

While there are classic Oasis elements present, the song’s original soft guitar strum sounding eerily akin to the foundations of ‘The Importance Of Being Idle’ – albeit an off-kilter version – for one, this is very much a new direction for Gallagher. Beginning with his rarely-used falsetto tones, yet combining his classic rhyming couplets from the very start –  “High tide summer in the city/ Kids are lookin’ pretty/ But isn’t it a pity that the sunshine is followed by thunder/ The thoughts of going under, and is it any wonder?” – Gallagher succeeds in creating a song that would have been very much out of place in the confines of his former band, further affirming that this is very much his own solo material.

The song's chorus uses these characteristic couplets in very much the same way: “The sea, calling out to me/ I seem to spend my whole life running from people who would be the death of you and me/ Cos I can feel the storm clouds sucking out my soul,” yet with the added pomp of stomping drums and bouncing beats that move the track along and add dynamic contrast to the song's softer verses.

'The Death Of You And Me' is not an echo of the Brit Pop bravado that his former band were instrumental in creating and nurturing over their lengthy career, rather there are elements of classic Americana, supported all the more by the dusky, dusty environs of the song’s video. Not only do the strings, muted banjo line and clunky piano notes of the track's ending add to this nostalgic tone, but they also help to demonstrate Gallagher's progression through his experimentation with classic genres.

Underpinning the central repetitive guitar melody are lingering synth keys, piano notes and the occasional smattering of strings: it’s certainly a more orchestral affair than Oasis would have ever arranged. By the time a plethora of brass accumulates towards the track’s demise, it’s clear that ‘The Death Of You And Me’ is Gallagher’s own spin on amalgamating elements of doo-wop blues with classic Americana. Trumpets, sax and a trombone continue to breath life into Noel’s own sound and while this is certainly Gallagher's song, it shows both musical development and maturity: a necessary break with his more traditional songwriting style to date.

Meanwhile the end of the video leaves us with the teasing sentiment ‘To be continued...’ We can’t wait to hear what Gallagher unveils next.

‘The Death Of You And Me’ will be released on August 21, with the album set to follow on October 17.

Is Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds better than Beady Eye? Let us know what you think using the comment box below.