Beady Eye's latest album imaginatively entitled "BE", has spawned some "heavy" offspring - the first pseudo-single was "Flick of the Finger". You've probably heard it on Ed's Indie Disco, and, it isn't pretty pop music either. This was followed up by "Second bite of the Apple".
The album has been recorded with Liam's trademark sneer as naked as possible - in response to critics who have accused him of not being able to sing. What do they expect? Pavarotti? It's a debatable point.
Rotten Apple
Despite the over-inflated sense of self belief, all the aggro and the 90's bravado Liam Gallagher is a brilliant frontman - snide, absurd, and great tabloid fodder - a primitive, stuck in the mud of the past, with a charismatic one-off vocal style. You can't take that away from him - he wouldn't let you.
How many frontmen since Johnny Rotten have so strongly divided opinion?
But time has moved on and the glory days of Brit Pop are just a hazy memory. Maybe you think Liam Gallagher is an anachronism, a thug, a rock god, a genius, an idiot - but that's exactly what he wants to be; maybe he sips juice and does yoga at home? You just don't know the truth.
Back to Brass Tacks
The huge brass section lathered across a thumping beat from double drum kits bodes well, "Flick of the Finger" sounds like an album opener, definitely, but a single? Maybe. Not in the sing-along, catchy-uplifting-chorus way - this is more of a hard edged, straight line - menacing and raw, bristling with intent.
The fat-spat with Robbie Williams has given Beady Eye some of the extra newsprint they might need. But neither of them are pushing the envelope.
"Flick Of The Finger, nearly a great tune...but there is no chorus." - Robbie Williams.
Chorus or not, the filthy guitar lines ache and the lyrics aren't bad at all. The Gallagher "metaphysics" are here - which means waking up from a stupor to face the global meltdown caused by the unforseen forces of the Illuminati…who arrive via a sample from French revolutionary radical Jean Paul Marat. Deep.
Hokey Cokey Candy?
Robbie's big novelty hit "Candy" smacked of "Dad at the Disco" tragedy - an insipidly infectious cocktail with an umbrella and a plastic dolphin thrown in for good measure - annoying and hard to get out of your head. Old pal Gary Barlow was drafted in for this masterpiece; it definitely helped balance the books. But is is it necessarily any better or worse?
Revolving Doors
"Second bite of the Apple" fuzes the fuzz guitar sound of Beatles era Revolver with some classic 60's drums. Throw in some blasting hot brass and a huge chorus - there's enough bombast and attitude to knock the drab verses to the back of the picture. It's an ambitious effort in future-retro rock swagger but is it enough?
With "Candy" reaching N.o.1 and the Beady Eye singles languishing outside the top 100 on the UK Singles chart you might be wondering exactly what it's all about, if it means anything at all, or what a great record ought to be?
Will Beady Eye kill themselves off before an Oasis reunion is on the cards?
