There is always room in the world for another well written, classy pop-rock gem, and with Chasing Yesterdays Noel Gallagher proudly delivers 10 of them.
Chasing Yesterday breaks no new ground but does show more range than we normally expect from Noel Gallagher, possibly a result of his taking on production duties this time.
Standout moments exist but the apparent slap across the face of preparedness results in meandering transitions, misplaced sax bleating that's part downtown jazz, part "Careless Whisper," and the feeling that there was a fair amount of sleepwalking through the process. [No. 119, p.55]
This is far more better than his previous album and his previous album was great. Chasing yesterday contains amazing melodies, complexThis is far more better than his previous album and his previous album was great. Chasing yesterday contains amazing melodies, complex diverse songs with additional instruments and enjoyable backing vocals. I love stronger presence of guitars. Noel shows progress and he's an example of an artist who is always evolving in to bigger greatness.…Expand
Noel Gallagher's second solo effort is a traditional pop-rock album with "Noel Gallagher"-type songs. It also happens to be fantastic. HeNoel Gallagher's second solo effort is a traditional pop-rock album with "Noel Gallagher"-type songs. It also happens to be fantastic. He produced it himself this time, and, surprisingly, the result is a far more "lived in" and lively sounding album than the first High Flying Birds record. Noel apparently recognized the only major flaw in that first album - the stiff production sometimes stifled the songs and music. The new record has great flow and more musical variety. All of the songs are good, the weakest song for me being the second song, In the Heat of the Moment.
The extra tracks are also interesting - Do the Damage in particular rocks in Noel's new found way. There are a couple of Oasis throwback songs on here, but generally this does not sound like any Oasis album. There's even a bit of mild weirdness and experimentation on the Right Stuff, and it works wonderfully. Chasing Yesterday is a grower in the best sense - great melodies, an abundance of guitar solos, a touch of melancholy; all the Gallagher hallmarks are there in a slightly new and interesting package. It is somewhat laid back and rockin' at the same time. You can also tell Noel Gallagher is having fun here, unlike on the later day Oasis albums. I am really glad someone is trying to make this type of music today - and doing so successfully.…Expand
The first Noel Gallagher solo album was great, but was a little safe. It played too much like Oasis, but still managed to get some freshThe first Noel Gallagher solo album was great, but was a little safe. It played too much like Oasis, but still managed to get some fresh ideas. Now, with this album you can't say that, as Noel tries a lot of moods, atmospheres and genres that go from Space Jazz (The Right Stuff), to Punk Rock (You Know We Can't Go Back). Still, Oasis makes an appearance in the album, with "Lock All the Doors", that is maybe the best song in the album. Even if it's not a typical Noel Gallagher release, I'm sure it will please all the fans out there.…Expand
Noel Gallagher's debut effort was always going to be an easy one to produce for such a prolific songwriter. After the bones of 15 years withNoel Gallagher's debut effort was always going to be an easy one to produce for such a prolific songwriter. After the bones of 15 years with Oasis there were plenty of ideas left unfinished with Noel being able to cherry pick which ones to bring to fruition. The results were impressive if not gamechanging. You would have expected the follow up to be a somewhat more difficult affair, starting from zero more or less. In reality, "Chasing Yesterday", NG's 2nd solo album, sounds effortless and marks his best piece of work in at least a decade. It's got everything a fan of Noel's is going to look for. At 10 tracks, most of which clock in around the 4 minute mark, "Chasing Yesterday" is both trim and focused but also very fresh sounding for a man close on 50. The album is loaded with catchy melodies and trademark Gallagher anthemic music. Opener "Riverman" is a brooding but expansive number, saxaphone included. "In The Heat of The Moment", the album's lead single is typically catchy Gallagher fare but as different a single as he's ever put out. "The Girl With The X-Ray Eyes" gets a bit psychedlic and reminds me slightly of 70's Bowie. "Lock All The Doors" should have Liam Gallaghers vocals all over it - it was made for Oasis, a rocker in the vein of their "Definitely Maybe" material. "The Dying of the Light" is the obligatory lighters in the air moment while the psychedelia continues with "The Right Stuff", a sprawling track that sounds almost like a jam, where Gallagher lets it all hang out with no complaints. It's not until we get to the final third of the album that any questions arise. Up to that point its pretty flawless but it loses ground with the last 3 tracks. "The Mexican" is a bit dodgy at first but to be fair does grow on your after time despite having the feel of a "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants" era B-side. "You Know We Can't Go Back" is Gallagher water treading. "Ballad of the Mighty I" closes the album and for me its essentially a reworking of the single "AKA What A Life" from his debut. All in all top end stuff from the chief.…Expand
“We let love get lost in anger chasing yesterday.” So sings the scribe (but not always the voice) behind some of Oasis’ biggest hits during“We let love get lost in anger chasing yesterday.” So sings the scribe (but not always the voice) behind some of Oasis’ biggest hits during their 1990’s heyday. Speaking of the phrase itself, Gallagher clearly has no problem “chasing yesterday” from minute 1. Opener “Riverman” rides an identical groove as “Wonderwall.” Some might call this lazy, but it manages to transcend the carbon copy label some might apply to it. Liam brought his sneer and bravado to “Wonderwall.” On “Riverman,” Noel’s measured, more relaxed tone turns the tune into something fresh while still retaining familiarity.
Noel stated in NME that being in Oasis was “all about the struggle and the chaos.” Chasing Yesterday is an album mostly free of chaos, even if it starts to ramp up rather quickly with second track and first single “In the heat of the moment.” This is a track distinctively featuring Noel circa 2015. Gone are the dense, over-packed arrangements of Be Here Now era Oasis. In their place is a tight, muscular groove that gets the job done and gets out of the room. The early half of Chasing Yesterday is all yin/yang, ducking and weaving between relaxed larks like “The girl with x-ray eyes” before coming out with guns blazing again. “Lock all the doors” was written before Oasis formed, and it shows. It sounds like something that could have ended up on Definitely Maybe, but didn’t quite get there at the time. Some of Noel’s limitations show here. He has the vocal chops to pull off the fast, hard-scrabble rockers, but he never quite sounds at home singing them. His is a voice built for quiet reflection, which he seems keen to remind listeners of with another truly “Noel circa 2015” track “The dying of the light.” Tracks like this one succeed by being rooted in the here and now. This is not the “high as a kite” version of Noel talked up here. This is the music firmly rooted in an older, wiser, and more reflective ethos that simply was not as prominent early in his career.
About the only thing that has carried over from that time is the length - 4 of the songs on this album cross the 5 minute mark, but none overstay their welcome. One track, “While the song remains the same” even has an intro that begs to be adapted as a walk-on-stage number to start shows, with the ethereal build leading into a rousing mid-tempo stomper. Here Noel shows how while he is still clearly a fan of “busy” tracks, he has learned a great deal since the early days of his career on how to manage that feeling and filter songs down. Now, they feature a well-balanced mixture, never overwhelming or stuffed with too many instruments just because the artist felt like putting them in there.
Taking this album as a whole, it comes down to a mostly even mix of Noel doing what he does best, and some fleeting glimpses of stepping outside his comfort zone. Album closer “Ballad of the mighty I” rides a skittering, chaotic groove that is more outside the comfort zone than anything else on this album. Johnny Marr’s guitar work on this track feeds that chaos like a gas can tossed on a bonfire, and the end result is something light years ahead of most of this album’s output. Bottom line - Noel Gallagher shows off the talent with Chasing Yesterday, but leaves the listener wanting more of the forward-leaning moments that peak out from behind the curtain over the album’s run time.…Expand
If there’s one thing about Mr. Gallagher, its that he knows how to construct a song, and Noel has been around long enough now to know theIf there’s one thing about Mr. Gallagher, its that he knows how to construct a song, and Noel has been around long enough now to know the tricks of the trade. This album intelligently provides a good balance of slightly more mellow numbers, such as ‘The Girl With The X-Ray Eyes’ and ‘The Dying of The Light’, compared to the more rocking ‘The Mexican’ and ‘The Ballard of Mighty I’. The track ‘Riverman’ is a fantastic opener to the album, another well-crafted song. A number of these tracks have a groovy feel to them, with a good use of instrumentation, syncopated drum patterns in particular.
I’d say this album isn’t quite as up to the standard as Noel’s debut back in 2011, but it’s certainly not far behind. A decent effort.…Expand
Sorry, but the whole thing bored me. Big Oasis fan, loved the first Noel CD, this one is so bland it hurts. Not one hook that I could rememberSorry, but the whole thing bored me. Big Oasis fan, loved the first Noel CD, this one is so bland it hurts. Not one hook that I could remember after 3 listens. Every song plods along in a mid tempo, over produced haze, I'm actually quite sad to be writing this about a guy I have held in high esteem for so long. I'm marking so low because this guy is a song writing god and should know better. For years Noel always seemed to be pushing the boundaries, he doesn't even appear to be pushing himself nowadays, What a life indeed..…Expand
