Though there is little magic to pull from the former Oasis alumni, it is sometimes worth checking in with Noel Gallagher to see if there is still a spark of quality. His High Flying Birds efforts have dwindled over the last decade from competent to contemptible and Magic Secrets #2 is another slice of the latter. Gallagher had already released these tracks separately at the end of last year and the start of this year was worse for it. A miserable cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart and discarded extra bit In A Little While marked slim pickings for the Oasis lyricist, who has never quite grasped what made his efforts earlier on so catchy. Good. If he picks it up again, we will be left with the vacant expressions Oasis was providing. At least Magic Secrets #2 has a bit of heart.
Just a splash, mind. Gallagher has not gone wild with emotion for this would take a risk. He is now a man without a chance of true artistic exploration because he knows what works for his sound. A comfortable collection of usual bells and whistles wash over this and do little to service the ongoing love-in for the late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. Love Will Tear Us Apart has been covered by just about anyone and, like a pop-up Manchester restaurant with £7 IPAs, Gallagher will pry at the heart of the city and its culture. Gallagher has a solid voice still and it is contemptible almost to hear him waste it. At least In a Little While slowly grows. A decent love song which has little depth to it. Even in moments of extreme, personable quality, Gallagher fails to leave a mark.
But the experience he develops alongside has left a mark. It drew him to Council Skies and the reflective look back on his childhood. In a Little While is more of this but sounds developed by the loss of love and more recent struggles. It is tender and stripped-back. A real shame this is the discarded opportunities Gallagher now feels reserved in releasing, as opposed to his lacklustre psychedelic trips and faux memories. This is Gallagher at his most real. Forget the Joy Division cover. At least pull at the tight seams of this demo recording. Something, briefly, is worth listening to in this one.
Take a new experience and mould it in the shape of everything he has charted over the last few decades. A shame to hear it happen but Magic Secrets #2 is tethered indefinitely to the sound which preceded it. Gallagher is unchanged even in the toughest moments. His dwindling attempts at being a relevant rocker now pencil him in as a contradictory figure like Johnny Rotten or Morrissey. The music stands for one voice, the man for another. It detracts from the music in all its usual forms and makes the likes of Love Will Tear Us Apart, a cover which has no feel for the original thrill or heartbreak, so cold. Magic Secrets #2 is an unflinching piece of work, one which can just about reveal the real Gallagher. Listeners may not like what they hear with this realisation.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
