PW's Song Of The Week: SONG OF THE WEEK: 5/29/22

Saturday, May 28, 2022

SONG OF THE WEEK: 5/29/22

SONG: "The Man Who Built The Moon" (acoustic version)

ARTIST: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

ALBUM: "Back The Way We Came: Vol. 1 (2011-2021)"

YEAR: 2021

PLACE OF ORIGIN: Manchester, England

YEARS ACTIVE: 2010 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"The Man Who Built The Moon" appears to be about leaving what you know and feel comfortable with in search of something better only to find out that what you sought and where you went to get it is not all that it's cracked up to be. There's a definite sense of regret in this song and perhaps some failure as well. In the end, sometimes it's better to go back to where you came. For my song of the week, I chose the acoustic version of "The Man Who Built The Moon". The original studio version could be found on Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds 2017 album "Who Built The Moon?".

NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2011 - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (Sour Mash Records)

* peaked at #28 on the Billboard 200 on 11-26-11

2015 - Chasing Yesterday (Sour Mash Records)

* peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200 on 3-21-15

2017 - Who Built The Moon? (Sour Mash Records)

* peaked at #48 on the Billboard 200 on 12-16-17

2021 - Back The Way We Came: Vol. 1 (2011-2021) (Sour Mash Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS:

Following the demise of the hugely successful Oasis in 2009, Noel Gallagher sought to embark on a solo career, hence, the High Flying Birds were formed in 2010. With their self-titled debut album in 2011, Noel Gallagher showed the world that he still had the chops after years of being the chief songwriter for Oasis. While the album still very much had an Oasis vibe to it, it was clear that Gallagher was not afraid to experiment with his sound and this grew evident with each subsequent release thereafter. In 2015, the band released their sophomore effort, "Chasing Yesterday". In 2017, "Who Built The Moon?" was released and Gallagher continued to push the envelope with his sound, incorporating some electronic elements and prog rock elements. His most recent release was a greatest hits album in 2021 called "Back The Way We Came: Vol. 1 (2011-2021)". This was a three disc release (if you purchased the Deluxe version). The first disc was a greatest hits package. The 2nd was a compilation of several singles that Gallagher had released since 2018 and the third featured some remixes and some acoustic tracks. While pretty successful globally, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds excel in their home country of England. All three of his studio releases reached #1 in England and record sales over there ballooned his sales over here in the States. His solo work will always be compared to his work with Oasis and even with his former Oasis bandmate and brother Liam Gallagher. In my mind, the High Flying Birds are good, but not close to his work in Oasis. In fact, I think Liam's solo releases are in fact better which surprises me a little bit because as I said earlier, Noel was the songwriting force behind the majority of Oasis' material. I just think Noel is going too much in an electronic phase where Liam is just putting out damn good rock and roll records. That being said, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds still has quite a few gems in their catalogue. In fact, I think one of their b-sides, "A Simple Game Of Genius" is an excellent track. No idea why that didn't make their debut album. Let me just say, I love these solo albums by the Gallagher brothers, but I, like probably millions of people, really want to see them make up and bring Oasis back!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Oasis

Beady Eye

Liam Gallagher

The Verve

Blur

TEN NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. If I Had A Gun

2. A Simple Game Of Genius

3. Ballad Of The Mighty I

4. In The Heat Of The Moment

5. AKA... What A Life!