Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding (2011)

I'm a huge Oasis fan, so it's not too surprising that I am a fan of Beady Eye.  The band consists of the four members of Oasis at the time of their breakup in 2009, minus chief songwriter/guitarist Noel Gallagher.  That leaves singer Liam Gallagher, Gem Archer (guitar), Andy Bell (guitar), and Chris Sharrock (drums) from the old band, plus a touring bassist and organist.

Liam Gallagher performing with Beady Eye

The remaining members decided shortly after Noel quit the band that they wanted to continue on, albeit under a different moniker.  Bringing together demos from the Oasis days, as well as new material, the band record with producer Steve Lillywhite.  The bulk of the songwriting in Oasis was always down to Noel, he had written all the 'classic' Oasis songs and even though the past few records had featured more democratic songwriting duties, the writing was still considered Noel's territory.

I have to say I was impressed when I heard this album for the first time.  I think I was probably going to look on it favourably regardless, but I kept my expectations fairly low.  Liam has always been one of the greatest singers of the past 25 years, but he really does sound fantastic on this record.  His voice has commonly been referred to as a combination of John Lennon and John Lydon (better known as Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols), and while there are moments of his infamous sneering vocals, his voice has a lightness to it that was rarely heard in Oasis.

While the record starts off furiously with "Four Letter Word," a frantic, bring-it-on sort of song, the rest of the record is decidedly lighter.  "Millionaire" bounces along with a fantastic slide guitar, and the first single, "The Roller" is a holdover from Oasis' Heathen Chemistry album.  It is an instantly catchy, sing-a-long song bearing a passing resemblance to Lennon's "Instant Karma."

That is the thing with the album.  It pulls no punches about being heavily indebted to the music they grew up listening to, and the album plays like a band indulging all of their influences.  It's why one song is called "Beatles and Stones" and ends up sounding like The Who.  They are not re-inventing the wheel, but it does not make it less enjoyable.  The music has an ease and a joy to it that seemed missing all too often from post-1997 Oasis.  "Bring the Light" might have shocked some longtime Oasis fans on first listen, but it rocks and rolls along a Jerry Lee Lewis piano stomp and has even more energy live.

I think my favourite track would be the closer, "The Morning Son."  It has been interpreted as a veiled reference to brother Noel, and more or less confirmed by Liam.  It's a classic, epic closer which reminds me in no small way of "Looking Glass," the closer to The La's critically acclaimed one and only album (which you may be hearing about sooner than later).  I'm a sucker for epic songs, and while it does not touch "Champagne Supernova" (few do), it's still the perfect ending to the album, coming in with waves, seagulls, and a single strumming guitar.  Liam's voice echoes as he sings "You'll never know, unless you try/You're blinded by what, you idolise."  The song builds up and releases in a colourful end to the band's debut.

Hey they're playing in Toronto in June.  Hey go see them.