With Oasis dismembered following the Gallagher brothers' final brawl in Paris in 2009, chief songwriter Noel preps a solo album while the remaining members carry on as Beady Eye. On Different Gear, the group attempts stripped-down, Stones-y rock but ends up with Be Here Now-style guitar bluster and Liam's blithely boilerplate lyrics ("I like what I see with my eyes shut," he sings on "Wind Up Dream"). Beady Eye are best when they keep it spry, as on "Bring the Light," which is full of girl-group harmonies and furious Jerry Lee piano. It's the kind of thing Noel never would have allowed — which was probably the point.
Listen to "Four Letter Word":
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