Different Gear, Still Speeding- Beady Eye

Same as it ever was for Liam & Co...

Well no one saw this coming. For his post-Oasis debut, Gallagher The Younger has gone Dubstep-electro with hints of Radiohead-tinged...

I’m joking obviously.

Different Gear, Still Speeding is exactly what Beady Eye as a band suggests: they sound exactly how Oasis would without the creative grip and songwriting nous of Noel Gallagher. It’s not what you could call a disappointment as such, mostly because it’s so bewildering in its crushing predictability. There’s certainly no attempt to rock the boat of what has already passed.

You’ll know the story of this album’s birth by now: Noel and Liam have one last fight; Noel disappears into the ether to be a father, while his younger sibling takes the rest of the band and attempts to reconnect with his roots.

Liam has painted Beady Eye’s first as an attempt at a version of a fierce debut from a new, young and exciting band. In many ways it’s worked. The whole thing sears with a raw and occasionally contagious energy that would shame bands half their age. This comes through best on two tracks: opening salvo Four Letter Word and piano-rocking Bring the Light. The former is as naughty as its brilliant title suggests, with some rather wonderful guitar work and Liam's Neanderthal snarl as full-bloodied as ever. Bring the Light meanwhile is pure forward momentum, sitting halfway between Paul Weller and Jerry Lee Lewis' piano punch. It’s certainly one of Liam’s best songs- closer to The Meaning of Soul than Little James. That’s as good as it gets though.

Oasis were known for shamelessly ripping off their idols (see Imagine’s piano in Don’t Look Back in Anger, or The Importance of Being Idle’s approximation of Sunny Afternoon), but Beady Eye take it to faintly ridiculous new levels. Instant Karma is lifted wholesale in unremarkable lead single The Roller, whilst Wind Up Dream is pure Let It Bleed-era Stones' creeping darkness. Liam was never the family’s best songwriter either, and he’s in his element here. All words are treated as a necessary evil; most songs filled with mindless gibberish, but it gets more embarrassing when Gallagher tries to get “deep”: The Morning Son’s title is cringe-inducing enough, but when we deal with words like “he’s in my mind/he’s in my soul/he’s even in my rock and roll” well...Dr Suess would like his rhyme scheme back, thank you.

None of this would matter too much, but what’s most maddening is that Gallagher is surrounded by talented people, all experienced enough to be able to stand up to him as quality control. Beatles And Stones, for instance (yes, he’s going there) is Liam’s grand folly: essentially declarations of greatness equaling long-held idols over a carbon-copy of the riff from My Generation. Why did no one say this wasn’t good enough?

As a starting point for a post-Oasis career, there is nothing on display to suggest a new voice or any attempt at something new. It all leaves the feeling of a slightly pointless exercise and an opportunity missed. Unless some of Beady Eye’s apparently incendiary live music finds its way onto record, Noel remains the one to watch.

2/5

Best Tracks:

Bring The Light

Four Letter Word