Liam Gallagher - As You Were

Liam Gallagher
As You Were
2017
Spotify

It just wouldn't be fair to review one of the Gallagher's albums without including the other, so here we are digging in to the debut record from former Oasis front man Liam Gallagher. Liam's public outbursts have far out numbered his music production as of late, so this album arrives with a lot of bluster. With all the hype and all the things said in the press you would expect this record to really be something, but it sounds like it is straight from the mid nineties a direct extension of the music Oasis used to make. Liam is clearly the better singer of the Gallagher brothers but this entire album feels so incredibly dated. You can pick up some of the elements that made them brit-rock superstars but on As You Were it sounds so much like an imitation. That whiny vocal sticks out so bad on tracks like "When I'm in Need", where the usual can't be bothered Liam Gallagher sudddenly can't live without someone. The public persona and music are so different that you are never able to square the two in your mind. Is this the asshole who climbs a tree just to sit there for 10 minutes are stare at people or this hard living rocker with a heart of gold. This album gives no insight into the person, who honestly has been the only thing keeping us fascinated with the Gallaghers up until this point. That fascination however is much larger in the UK than it is stateside. We have enough fighting families of our own to really give a shit what the Gallaghers say or don't say about Beyonce. Some of the music is nice and a pretty straight forward extension of what Oasis used to do, at least his brother is pushing the envelope a bit with his music.

The lyrics are also often infantile especially on "Chinatown" when Gallagher says "well the cops are taking over/ while everyone's at yoga". It is such a "get off my lawn" kind of statement and doesn't make all that much sense. On "Come Back to Me" when Liam sings the word "god" I swear it is identical to how He has sung it on every single song He has ever sung. "Universal Gleam" also feels super dated with it's attempt at some 60's psychedelic style rock. If you are waiting for something exciting or inspiring here you are going to be waiting for a long time because it just never comes. Perhaps the Oasis faithful will be filled with glee at the idea of the brothers both putting out albums at the same time and forgive how old this sounds, but for everyone else not fully invested in the Gallagher drama, who really cares? "Doesn't Have To Be That Way" is the one song that feels a bit progressive and like they are actually doing something modern, but it's not nearly enough to make this album a success. Maybe its because I was never around for the Oasis explosion, or just didn't care, but I don't see how this album is going to sway anyone not already on board. Well, at least he still sounds like her used to, for better or worse.

4.8 out of 10