Beady Eye | B+

When Noel Gallagher walked out of Oasis in August of last year, a lot of people were left wondering what the rest of the band was going to do next. Seven months down the line, Different Gear, Still Speeding is here, and the answer is abundantly clear: This is not a new Oasis record. Beady Eye is a different entity entirely. Following his brother's departure, the responsibility of vocals has fallen to Liam Gallagher alone, and he's clearly revelling in it.

Each song is built around a solid chorus, none more so than "The Roller," which, while reminiscent of Oasis' early work, has an understated charm that Liam has never really revealed before. "Bring The Light," the album's lead single, is full of upbeat honky-tonk pianos and sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis 50 years down the line — it's something that could never have come out under the Oasis name. Nobody ever doubted that the members of Oasis were possessors of great music-making ability, but as their time together grew, it was almost as if they'd pigeon-holed themselves and were incapable of making drastic changes to their music at the risk of upsetting their long-time fans.

But Beady Eye offers Gallagher and co. the perfect opportunity to try something new, and they've pulled it off to great effect. Different Gear, Still Speeding is a mix of the same influences that were always evident in Oasis's work, such as The Kinks, The Beatles and other British bands of the '60s and '70s.

The swagger of Oasis seems to have been put aside, and what's come to the forefront is an album full of charming pop songs. Beady Eye's debut album quashes predictions that they'd produce a second-rate Oasis album. If you've got your fingers crossed for an Oasis reunion, take a listen. You might just end up uncrossing them.