Noel's birds flying in the face of the critics

Not one Noel Gallagher review will go by without mentioning Oasis and the possibility of a reunion between the brothers. There, see, I've gone and done it now too.

The problem with that is that Chasing Yesterday becomes an album that will probably never really be judged on its merits. Instead critics will be looking for a new Wonderwall or Champagne Supernova. That or something so wildly different to make this a 'concept' album. When neither arrives it's written off as rubbish with no further thought.

I even saw one suggestion that Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' self-titled first album could've been seen as excellent if it were an Oasis album, since it would've been a refreshing new direction and a step up from the band's last effort, but because it was Noel on his own it was more disappointing because the person in question was hoping for something wildly different. I find that more than a little bizarre, but then I do find myself baffled by a lot of music reviews to be honest. Half the time they're out to wow you with how many Pink Floyd B sides they can casually throw into conversation. I find it all a bit smug, sneery and deeply unsatisfying.

I should declare an interest here. I'm something of a Noel fanboy and in the lead-up to this release - snapped up on day one, of course - I even decided to give the much maligned Be Here Now a spin. It's a guilty pleasure - even if the tracks are so long that you barely get more than three in when popping it in the car on a half-hour commute.

So, onto Chasing Yesterday. It begins in intriguing fashion with Riverman. You feel Noel's almost toying with the critics by beginning briefly in a Wonderwall-y fashion before breaking into something that, for me at least, felt fresh and different, not least with the early deployment attention-grabbing saxophone. It's long, but not Be Here Now long thankfully, but a strong start nevertheless.

In some respects I was still trying to take it in as In The Heat of the Moment kicked in. It's a good, catchy tune that was a solid single choice, although I felt it maybe could've waiting until a little later in the album.

Chasing Yesterday is almost an album of two halves (maybe made for the newly resurgent vinyl?) - with the first part continuing strongly, including Lock All The Doors and The Dying of the Light - the 'slow one' many will be looking out for.

Then comes The Right Thing - it takes the change of pace and tone of Riverman and runs with that a bit further. It caught me off guard - more Lighthouse Family than Gallagher family - but in a good way. This is clearly a 47-year-old artist with the confidence to throw in a splash of something new into a tried and tested formula, albeit nothing too off-piste to throw off the regulars.

The only problem came straight after. I felt the album then started to tail off - possibly because I'd been relaxed into a lull by The Right Thing. While The Song Remains The Same - undoubtedly a title that'll be gobble up by reviewers keen to show Noel offers nothing different here - and The Mexican didn't quite catch my attention in the same way. They were still good, listenable tracks, but maybe it was a mistake to place them after something so different?

Still my lull ended in some style. You Know We Can't Go Back is a track with instant appeal. It's a bit like Embrace with an edge (have that reviewers!) and provides an upbeat jolt and - thanks to a piano - goes nicely into the Ballad of the Mighty I. This track features the talents of Noel's mate Johnny Marr which, I think, probably works better as an album closer than a second single and feels like a follow up to AKA...What A Life.

Any self-respecting follower of Noel's work will know he 'does good B sides' and it was a lesson worth learning given that the deluxe edition contains three further tracks. They could all, typically, have made the album, especially the Black Keys-sounding Do The Damage. The remix of The Heat Of The Moment didn't really work for me though.

So there we have it - a good collection of tunes from Noel Gallagher - some of it 'traditional', some a clear follow up to the first album and some completely different. It's a good blend and a thoroughly decent album. Of course, it's not (What's The Story) Morning Glory? but I'd struggle to judge many albums favourably against that. I prefer to judge this on its own merits and if you do that, ignoring everything else, I reckon there's some really good material at the heart of this. While Noel's on this form there's really no need to fret over an Oasis comeback...