Beady Eye – BE CD (Limited Digibook Edition) / Oasis
The most striking thing about BE, the sophomore album from Liam Gallagher and his ex-Oasis bandmates in Beady Eye, is how little it sounds like an Oasis album. In fact, the record dials back the rock ‘n’ roll quite a lot, if one’s perception of rock ‘n’ roll is linked inextricably to the crunchy guitars and arena-ready choruses of such Oasis anthems as “Supersonic” or “D’You Know What I Mean?” or “The Hindu Times.” For a long time, we all assumed that such elements were vital components of Gallagher’s musical worldview; they showed up consistently through the Oasis catalog, and there was plenty of crunchy, big-screen rock on display in Beady Eye’s solo debut, Different Gear, Still Speeding.
But BE is a different beast altogether, and if it’s not always successful, well, at least it fails in different ways. And that’s not to say that it fails consistently—there are plenty of good songs here, and Gallagher’s fans will be pleased that his adenoidal voice remains front and center in the band’s sound. This isn’t surprising, really. Gallagher was, for many listeners, the personification of Oasis, and he dominates the new outfit as well. But this album seems to be trying for a different vibe. For the most part, it succeeds.
Opening track “Flick of a Finger” kicks off the proceedings with typical thud-thud-thud bombast, but the soaring horns are an early indication that sonically things aren’t quite the same on this record. Then comes the spoken-word outro, delivered in a sonorous British accent, warning about…I’m not sure what exactly. Powerful forces exploiting the masses and preparing for nuclear annihilation or something. It’s all a bit goofy, but at least it’s unexpected, which is not a word often thrown around when discussing this band or its ancestry.
There are relatively few outright rockers here. Apart from “Flick of the Finger,” we have the uptempo stomp of “Face the Crowd” and “I’m Just Saying,” and that’s about it. The balance of the record is devoted to midtempo and downtempo tunes that rely heavily on acoustic guitars, atmospheric keyboard ambience and Gallagher’s voice insinuating itself into the listener’s ear.
This formula works to a surprising extent, with songs like “Soul Love,” “Second Bite of the Apple” and “Don’t Brother Me” working their catchy, hummable tunes into earwormy hooks that linger long after the record finishes. “Soon Come Tomorrow” works plenty of wah-wah noodling into the background, but remains a pretty ballad, and is none the worse for it. Producer Dave Sitek, of TV On the Radio, stretches out these tunes and works in plenty of cloudy, dreamy keyboard layers into the songs’ codas—half of the seven-and-a-half minutes of “Don’t Brother Me” is devoted to a spacey outro, which, instead of being tedious, actually maintains and contributes to a dreamy mood set in the earlier part of the album.
Not every song is great of course. “Iz Rite” is a classic bit of Oasis-style pop drivel, with lyrics like “When you call my name/ It takes away my pain/ Til only love remains.” But such missteps are inevitable, and considering how much else is working on the album, it’s easy enough to forgive such laziness.
Label: Columbia
Country: Europe
Media Condition: Very Good (VG) .
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)
Plays great but has many large marks.