I was thinking the other day that he may well do a Paul Weller around the time of '22 Dreams' and drop the backing band he has had for some time in favour of a more fluid array of musicians that better suit each song. I think if he did this it would at least in theory be a step forward, obviously depending on how the end product turned out.

Noel doesn't have the patience to do that.

so if Noel took the olympic job...he wouldve HAD to have sung wonderwall like the original?

I think (hope) that Noel would have sung Don't Look Back In Anger.

Here's a question:

Will Noel outnumber his Oasis records? Will he make 6 more albums+ ?

I reckon so. I think he has at least half a dozen records left to put out.

We may get to a point where we are waiting 5 years between albums though

Listened to Chasing Yesterday again...

Riverman - 10/10
Still really, really great and still sounds amazing - perhaps could have done with being just a bit more Wizard's Sleeve-y though.

In the Heat of the Moment - 8/10
Great single, sweet A.F bridge, and a chorus that gets the job done and then some. Love the beat, the slide bass, and the bells. However, I really wish the lyrics were better and "I'll-Fookin'-Rip-Off-Flick-Of-The-Finger" horns were used instead of Na-Na-Na's.

The Girl With X-Ray Eyes - 6.5/10
This one doesn't hold up for me. The production is...clumpy, and the lyrics are a magnolia shade of bland. The cool solo isn't cool enough to save it, and so it ends up being decidedly average. I think Noel could release one of these a week.

Lock All the Doors - 7/10
Hmm. This one. I'm really torn about this one. On the one hand, yes - this isn't the kind of song Noel should be releasing at this point. It's Oasis-lite, and is far too predictable. I honestly hope he never realeases another song like this again. On the other hand, though - it's a fucking tune. It's got a great melody and has loads of energy for me too - I think the slightly glassy production helps make it sound like a High Flying Birds song rather than an Oasis one. I'll say it's good, and I understand why it's on here, but I hope it's the last of a dying breed.

The Dying of the Light - 9/10
Man, it's amazing how you can just hear the quality reach back to the level as Riverman when this one begins. Some people have said this is another Noel-standard, but I disagree. It's got a really smoky, dark sound that makes it unique among his acoustic love songs, and those guitar textures are so fucking gorgeous. The lyrics are brilliant, it's layered, experimental, and perfectly handled.

The Right Stuff - 10/10
This. This is what Noel should be doing. It's great to hear him make should a sweetly dark, grooving, layered track. The female singer is a great addition, the structure is like nothing he's done before, and it's catchy and melodic too. Ok, the lyrics aren't anything to shout about, but I don't care that much in this one because - in something I really hope is a big part of LP3 - the vocal melody is less important than the instrumental ones. This would work as a brilliant instrumental too, and I hope he continues making songs like that.

While the Song Remains the Same - 8.5/10
It's taken a long time to grow on me - it was initially my least favourite track - but grow on me it has. Again, it has the layered instrumental and lyrical depth that characterises the best on the album, and manages to feel fresh, exciting, and sad whilst containing a truly kick-ass guitar solo.

The Mexican - 6.5/10
C'mon Noel...

You Know We Can't Go Back - 8/10
A really great penultimate track, a final burst of pop-rock energy before the closer. Like I said with Lock All the Doors, I hope we don't get anymore chorus/verse/chorus/guitar solo/chorus songs from Noel, but while we do I'm glad they're as good as this. Tune.

Ballad of the Mighty I - 10/10
Overrated? Is it fuck. 
Cinematic, perfectly produced, expansive, experiental, catchy, well-written, and modern. This is what LP3 should be based around, along with Riverman and The Right Stuff.

Overall - 8.5/10
Still very, very good - but the more experimental heights reveal the blandness of a couple of tunes that otherwise might seem ok. This sounds like an excellent transition record, and I'm really excited about where he's going. I'd love an 8-track LP3; no filler or obligatory pop songs, just eight songs all built around the heights of this album. Knowing Noel thoug, it'll be much the same as this. Really, though, that's not such a bad thing.

That backing band more fell apart than anything though, didn't it? I heard Whitey Sr. left because he was tired of Paul's heavy drinking in the mid-00s, and I think, judging on how he's gone to play for Matt Deigton's band, The Family Silver along with Whitey, the bassist Damon Minchella just follows him wherever he goes. Like Guigs jumping ship when Bonehead announced he was leaving. 

But yes, it would be nice if Noel got another backing band together (the one he's had so far has been average at best), but I can't see it, to be honest. The reasoning he gave for the High Flying Birds moniker, being that any musician could float in, assume the role of a 'High Flying Bird' and lay something down for his records, I think is just another one of Noel's grand plans that will likely never come to full fruition. Like Oasis being produced by Death In Vegas, or Noel doing that record with AA. 

But then, him working with a proper producer for the first time EVER(!) is something none of us expected, so you never know...

The pre-chorus of The Dying Of The Light always reminds me of this song.

That's embarrassing

I agree with your thoughts on all the tracks but with these two I had something different in mind. I think ITHOTM needed a deeper fuzz guitar track, a bit like BRMC's style. For some reason I always hear it lacking when I listen to the song.

Also XRE was much better as a stripped down demo. Shows Noels' real effortless knack for melodic songwriting. The production just made it seem rather generic and as you so eloquently put it: decidedly average.

Probably my favourite track on NGHFB self titled.

When I first heard the album I had it on repeat about 10 times.

LOVE it!

Sometimes I really like it but sometimes, I don't know, something puts me off... it sounds a bit "variety".