Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Noel Gallagher, the brains behind Britpop heroes Oasis, hits town with his solo venture. While brother Liam’s band Beady Eye is basically Oasis sans Noel, the Birds includes members of the Zutons and the Lemon Trees. Also in contrast with Liam’s ploddy mod-pop venture, Noel’s band offered rootsy, sometimes lush Americana on its self-titled 2011 debut. The HFBs' promising latest, Chasing Yesterday, takes their sound in a slicker but no less appealing direction.