COUNCIL SKIES

Product Information

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. In the same recent media interview, it rings true really when he states that despite the artwork the title track is the only one that really refers to his earlier life in Manchester interestingly, but the greater variety of theme is welcome. Although perhaps Council Skies needed a couple more overtly adventurous tracks like Pretty Boy to be absolutely perfect - though all the arrangements/production on the other songs are gorgeously deep and detailed - this is still an excellent new album from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Noel Gallagher is friends with Bono and Council Skies is like a superior equivalent to U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind (which was for the most part too poppy) in that it is more back to first principles but aspects of the more "far out there" sonic soundscapes remain as the instrumentation is so numerous and rich.

From the evocative album title to the cover art, to the lyrics themselves, Council Skies sees Noel Gallagher reclaiming his past and paying homage to his Mancunian roots. This 10 track album includes the singles ‘Pretty Boy’ and ‘Easy Now’ plus an Album version of the previously released demo ‘We’re Gonna Get There In The End’ as a bonus track. The mournful Dead to the World - presumably reflecting his marriage breakup - is one of the standouts and is like a dreamy, ethereal relative to 1994's classic Half the World Away.Overall it’s better than Who Built The Moon by a long stretch in my opinion, but I don’t know if I’ll be going back to this album over and over like I did (and still do) with his first two solo albums. In a recent media interview, Noel Gallagher stated that he wished the David Bowie-like (similar chords to Ashes to Ashes) closer Think of a Number had been the first track and the opener the last instead, but the current selection is spot on. is another very strong song that has a bit of the electronic ambience of Standing on the Shoulder of Giants - though better written - combined with the trademark acoustic strum of Oasis (a bit like Wonderwall).

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Oasis' first two albums - the globe dominating Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory - and their associated B-sides will always be the absolute pinnacle of Noel Gallagher's song writing but his solo material in the High Flying Birds is a real second coming and very nearly as mind blowing. Council Skies was recorded at Noel’s own Lone Star Sound Recording Studios in London, with the album’s lusciously orchestrated strings recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. So a melting pot of retro-styles that is on the whole successful, it’s just a shame Noel didn’t feel the urge to push himself more. Noel Gallagher melding all these legendary old bands together coupled with his ability to create his own fresh song from these inspirations ensures that Pretty Boy is the most thrilling, danciest and scintillating five minutes of Council Skies.After the sensational success of the first two Oasis records, perhaps there was too much pressure on Noel to keep creating globe gobbling anthems and now in HFB it is better as he can just concentrate on writing great songs instead. Includes an album version of the previously released demo ‘We’re Gonna Get There In The End’ as a bonus track. Although slightly more experimentation would be pleasing next time, this is a truly really strong set of tunes - tracks 2-7 are especially magical - and the most complete album of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds discography.

Council Skies' is the highly anticipated fourth studio album from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.The title track (and fourth single) - about finding love in Noel Gallagher's pre-fame years in Burnage - is the second best song on the album and sounds like Paul Weller/The Smiths (Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr plays on it and two other tracks) but with more sweeping strings.