If you're looking for something new and groundbreaking here, move along. Beady Eye is essentially Oasis minus Noel Gallagher, so it's not like they were going to record a hardcore hip-hop album. While it's nowhere near as good as their former band's debut and best album, Definitely Maybe, Beady Eye's Different Gear, Still Speeding is heaps better than anything Oasis has put out in the 21st century.The album kicks off with an incredible one-two punch of "Four Letter Word" and "Millionaire." "Four Letter Word" is all swagger and sneer, a non-too-subtle dig at Noel with its song title and "nothing ever lasts forever" refrain. "Millionaire" is everything "Four Letter Word" isn't: poppy and bouncy, the perfect compliment to the album's opening track.
Liam's John Lennon-like vocals are in full effect on songs like "The Roller" and "The Beat Goes On." In fact, Liam Gallagher might've recorded his most Beatlesque album to date with "Different Gear, Still Speeding," given the aforementioned tracks and the psychedlic "Wigwam."
The only thing this album is lacking is a powerful ballad to join the ranks of "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova." "Wigwam" is just too trippy to qualify and while "The Morning Son" tries, in the end it shows its true colors: the band's failed attempt to rewrite the "Wonderwall" magic.
Despite the fact that I have been an Oasis fan since their sounds first drifted over across the Atlantic (I even named their 1995 show one of my Top 4 Cat's Cradle moments), I wasn't exactly heartbroken when I heard the band had broken up. Because they hadn't released anything that blew me away in years, I had pretty much written them off already, so I felt it was time for a breakup. So I am very surprised with the promising and extremely enjoyable debut of Beady Eye and I am very excited to see what the future holds for Liam and his crew.
