Album Review Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon?

If ‘As You Were’ saw little bro Liam largely treading familiar ground with a collection of Oasis-esque slammers, then ‘Who Built The Moon?’ cements Noel as the more adventurous – albeit hit and miss – of the Gallagher clan. From the Vaccines-do-Ricky-Martin honk of lead single ‘Holy Mountain’, it’s clear NG hasn’t exactly set the filters of caution that high, and the rest of the HFBs’ third effort follows suit.

‘She Taught Me How To Fly’ is Noel’s semi-successful attempt at a New Order track. ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’ borrows more than a little from The Beatles’ ‘Come Together’, while ‘If Love Is The Law’ is an almost festive number from the Abba songbook. Only semi-title track ‘The Man Who Built The Moon’ and riffy opener ‘Fort Knox’ land firmly in more classic Gallagher territory. You can’t fault Noel for wanting to step away from the niche of his own making, but it doesn’t make ‘Who Built The Moon?’ any less of a baffling ride.