Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have just released their bursting brand new EP, Black Star Dancing.
The EP consists of five songs including the title track, Rattling Rose, Sail On, a 12″ mix of Black Star Dancing as well as a remix from French DJ/producer, Nicolas Laugier aka The Reflex. As the title suggests this EP is vast in its influence and ambition, calling in notes of disco, space opera and classic rock for a truly expansive feel.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have dropped their brand new EP Black Star Dancing, a record bustling with disco, sea shanties, and funky French DJs.
Upon listening, it’s immediately clear this release is a departure from Gallagher’s familiar style. Unlike his previous album Who Built the Moon with its late ’90s brit-rock, we are introduced to a rebranded Gallagher and this time he’s doing cosmic pop.
Black Star Dancing is a lengthy disco daze, glimmering with synths and heavy guitar riffs. Gallagher himself described the title track as such:
“It manages to combine the influences of David Bowie, INXS, U2, Queen, Indeep AND ZZ Top FFS! … I might have been watching too much Top Of The Pops recently … anyway, it’s ‘dope’ … not my words, but the words of Nile Rodgers who literally danced in the studio when he heard it!”
The 12″ version is 17 seconds longer with some additional cosmic ambience, however no drastic changes have been made to the mix. Meanwhile, the marathon-long closing remix exaggerates Gallagher’s funky new style in a way that doesn’t fail to make all 10 minutes engaging.
Rattling Rose ditches a lot of the synths and returns to some Americana rhythms with a leading, hypnotic bass line. The backing music compliments and draws focus to Gallagher’s smooth voice in a more traditional way than the previous track, though the driving tune still manages to hold surprises, reaching a dramatic and almost euphoric ending before fading out.
With wind and rain we are swept into acoustic lullaby, Sail On. It’s simple and folky with lyrics to match, “Tell the girl behind the counter that I loved her once but soon I must be gone”.
There are elements that had me thinking of the track as a sea shanty, though soft background synths mark Sail On as a voyage into the stars rather than the seas. As the track closes and the EP’s primary material draws to a close, the sounds of rainfall bring it all back to earth.
Black Star Dancing is no doubt a departure for Gallagher, a syndication of his influences stretching all the way from the ’80s to the present day. Appealing to new fans and those who have followed his career with a microscope alike, this new EP is impressive in the altitude it conjures – even for a couple of High Flying Birds.
Black Star Dancing is out now via Sour Mash/Caroline Australia.
