Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Cover of "The Death of You and Me" single from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

When Oasis imploded in late 2009 I couldn’t really claim that I was all that surprised. As an Oasis Fan you kind of expected it would happen at some point.

We also knew this would mean two things – more music from Noel and Liam; just not with each other.

Earlier this year Liam and the rest of Oasis minus Noel released their debut album as Beady Eye, a strong effort that actually rivals some of Oasis’ best material in recent years. While it didn’t feel too much like a departure from what the band had been doing as Oasis, it still felt exciting and new.

This of course meant we were just waiting for Noel to come out of the woodwork with new material of his own. It took some time, but a few weeks back Noel made his official announcement of a solo career. A solo career that has already produced two albums set for release over the next year and a half or so.

Noel Gallagher - from noelgallagher.com

Last night at 1 a.m. the first of his solo material officially hit digital store shelves. The single “The Death of You and Me” is now available for purchase on his official website. I ordered both the CD single and the digital single.

The video for “The Death of You and Me” hit a few weeks ago so the song has had a few weeks to gestate in the public and from what I can tell, a lot of people are with me in their praise for his work. Again, not a big departure from what Oasis had been doing, but this is Noel Gallagher after all – how far a field did you really expect him to go.

The a-side for the single is a bit breezy and in line with some of the brighter moments of Don’t Believe the Truth. The b-side, “The Good Rebel” feels like a mid-90′s Noel fronted Oasis track. If you enjoyed the hidden moments in the “Be Hear Now” era, I think you’ll feel right at home with “The Good Rebel.”

The first full length album “Noel Gallagher’s High Flight Birds” is set for release this November and from the material I have heard up to this point, I continue to be excited to see what Noel does. It is still a good time to be an Oasis fan – even if Oasis is no more.

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

After the storm has passed

It has nearly been two months since a strong storm that produced multiple tornados touched down in Tyler, Minn. – the place I call home. When the storm hit I was lucky enough to make it into my basement for protection.

IMG 5347

During the storm it was difficult to get a full grasp on what was going on. I could hear the hail, I could see the tree down in my backyard but the full scope of what had come to town was difficult to appreciate until after it had passed. There was hardly a street in town that was passable. Getting a vehicle out on the road was nearly impossible.

My home sustained some minor damage, shingles on the roof were damaged and I lost two trees in my backyard along with piles of branches from the other trees on my property. I was lucky compared to many of the other property owners in Tyler who have significant damage to their homes, businesses and vehicles.

The response from our community was astounding. Within minutes of the storm passing by, neighbors were out helping neighbors and people from other communities poured into town to help in any way they could.

For my part, I went to work taking photos throughout the community of the damage, preparing a record that would be first published in the Tribute a few days later. It was difficult not to think I should be doing something else, but I fully recognized the need for letting people know what happened.

No one was seriously hurt from the storm and today life has mostly gotten back to normal. Less than a month after the storm our town held its annual celebration along with the Lincoln County Fair – at the same time. The city crews and volunteers helped bring the community back to a place to be proud of.

There is yet a lot of work to be done and it will be years before Tyler looks the way it did before Friday, July 1 at 4 p.m.

Posted in Personal, Rants | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When I was young

There is an upcoming project I am involved in that I won’t get into at this time, but what it comes down to is my mom was asked to look for some photos from when I was a little kid. She scanned a set of about five photos. This one in particular caught my eye.

Image 3

A young Robert sits in a familiar chair.

The photo features me sitting on a chair that my parents very much still have, holding my father’s Army hat. The age of the photo could probably be deciphered if one was to recognize the era in which that hat was still in service for the Army, but I won’t say for sure. I have to keep up appearences after all.

Posted in Personal, Photos | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Death of You and Me

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Just a few hours before U2

20110723-053149.jpg

Posted in Music | Tagged | Leave a comment