In a new episode of comedian Matt Morgan's podcast on Patreon, Noel Gallagher has confirmed he's scrapping his planned acoustic album six songs into the process and is planning to record a 'defiant' rock record instead.
“I’ve scrapped the acoustic album finally, can’t fucking do it anymore," he admitted to Morgan. "Yeah, it got six tunes in, and I was so bored with the arrangement of it all and the kind of slow pace of it all and, actually what made me think, right fuck it, I’m not doing it"
The Oasis and High Flying Birds songwriter added that he was concerned it was becoming too much like his last studio album – and is now planning to start afresh when he returns from holiday in the Maldives.
It started to sound like Council Skies without the string arrangement
"It started to sound like Council Skies without the string arrangements, do you know what I mean?" said Noel. "It was the same kind of vibe or mood, shall we say. I think it’s time to make a defiant rock record which is what I’m gonna start when I get back."
Two of the songs Noel previously confirmed for contention on the acoustic album – God Help Us All and Just Let It Come Down Over Me – have already been released in demo form, but he told Morgan that he's not completely ruling out releasing the others he'd worked on in the future.
"Let’s put it this way, none of them are gonna go on this new record I’m starting on Monday," said Noel. "I had the idea of instead of making an album, maybe doing a couple of EPs… and putting them out. [But] it was too down. Acoustic tunes tend to be quite down and I think Council Skies had a bit of that to it… I was like, no that took me fucking two years to make that record in that head space and I need to make a defiant rock record and that’s what I’m gonna do. Sorry everyone, I do apologise if anyone had their hearts set on it."
I’m not gonna be fucking writing Welcome To The Jungle, you know
But any fans expecting a return to the raucous Definitely Maybe rock of Noel's younger years in Oasis should adjust their expectations.
"It’s not Bring It On Down," he warned. "I’m fucking 57 this year, do you know what I mean? It’s not like, I’m not gonna be fucking writing Welcome To The Jungle, you know."
Morgan remarked that it might be more like Welcome To The Rotisserie in Waitrose.
But Noel did confirm Marshall amps would be involved, he also asserted his belief that 2023's Council Skies is one of the two 'perfect' albums he's ever made.
"I’ve got a lot of songs, as you know yourself," he told Morgan. "I’ve got a lot of songs and Council Skies, I would say… it had three different things to it: there was kind of uplifting acousticy things, there was a bit of melancholy to it and there was a bit of like, you know, rock 'n' roll pop music to it. And so that was an overall, I think it’s the best High Flying Birds album and actually it’s the first album I’ve made, bar Definitely Maybe that I would say that is perfect.
"Every record I make tends to have some flaw to it that I think, right I’ll fix that next time, there’s something I don’t like about it," Noel added. "Well, I’m still listening to Council Skies and going, it’s fucking perfect'. There’s nothing I could take away or add to that to make it any better than what it is."
Even though he hasn't started its follow-up, he revealed the cover art has been shot [by his son Sonny in Las Vegas] and the album has already got a title, inspired by the comedy Eastbound & Down – and astute one fan over on the Live4ever Oasis fan forum may have already worked it out.
"I’ve already got the title. Something to do with Eastbound and Down that none of you have got yet," Noel teased.
"Watched eastbound and down about a month ago," posted forum user dampcottage on 4 April. "The only thing that stuck out was 'The future will look better tomorrow', [it] might have been 'brighter' rather than better – anyway it stuck in my head cause it sounds Noely as fuck so that's my guess for the title."
So we have everything but the music in place, and don't expect it to surface any time soon.
"I don’t know," Noel admitted to Morgan. "Let me see where we end up. By the time I get to the end of this year and I finish touring after August… in my head now if I could demo it all by the end of the year or start to record it properly by the end of the year… could be, dunno… not next year cos then I’d have to go back out on tour next year and I’m not doing that… 2026 maybe?
As Coldplay proved with 2014's Ghost Stories, artists don't have to tour every album immediately after release but if any Oasis reunion theorists are thinking Noel is keeping 2025 clear for that reason, stand down – his estranged younger brother and Oasis vocalist Liam Gallager is not entertaining any talk of it anymore.
Excuse me can you not be getting peoples hopes up and stop it with this narrative it’s not big and it’s certainly not clever thank you LGApril 5, 2024
In reply to a fan who tweeted that Noel was keeping 2025 clear for an Oasis reunion tour, Liam was clear. "Excuse me can you not be getting people's hopes up and stop it with this narrative, it's not big and it's certainly not clever."
- For more info on Matt Morgan's podcast, head to Patreon
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