Council Skies
Council Skies is the upcoming fourth studio album by English rock band Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Produced by Gallagher and longtime engineer Paul Stacey, it is set to be released on 2 June 2023, through Gallagher's label Sour Mash Records.[1] It will be the first album Gallagher has recorded in his own recording studio: Lone Star Studios with string sessions taking place at Abbey Road Studios in April 2022. Four singles have been released from the album so far: "Pretty Boy", "Easy Now", "Dead to the World" and the title track "Council Skies".
| Council Skies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 June 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2021-2022 | |||
| Studio | Lone Star and Abbey Road, London | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 43:25 | |||
| Label | Sour Mash | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Council Skies | ||||
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Background
Gallagher began demoing the album in late 2021 with sessions commencing at Lone Star Studios in January 2022. Johnny Marr features on three tracks on the album, including lead single: "Pretty Boy".[2]
Gallagher has described the album as "going back to the beginning. Daydreaming, looking up at the sky and wondering about what life could be…". When discussing the album title, Gallagher said "The title comes from a book by the artist Pete McKee. I was writing the song which was to become Council Skies, but it wasn't called Council Skies. There's a bit in the song when I was writing it, where a phrase was missing - I didn't know what that phrase was gonna be." He went on to say: "Pete's book happened to be on my coffee table at home. So I called him up and said, Can I use this title? And he said yeah. And I rewrote the song and then subsequently a lot of other things started to fall into place.".[3]
Artwork and cover
The artwork is taken by Kevin Cummins and features the band's live equipment set up on the original centre spot of where Maine Road Football Stadium once stood.
Singles
On 31 October 2022, the song "Pretty Boy" was released as the first single. On 17 January 2023, "Easy Now" was released as the album's second single. On 23 March 2023, "Dead to the World" was released as the album's third single. On 20 April 2023, "Council Skies" was released as the album's fourth single.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Noel Gallagher, except track 13 and track 23, written by John Lennon and Bob Dylan respectively[4].
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Not Giving Up Tonight" | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Pretty Boy" | 4:48 |
| 3. | "Dead to the World" | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Open the Door, See What You Find" | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Trying to Find a World That's Been and Gone: Part 1" | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Easy Now" | 3:52 |
| 7. | "Council Skies" | 4:39 |
| 8. | "There She Blows!" | 3:56 |
| 9. | "Love Is a Rich Man" | 4:21 |
| 10. | "Think of a Number" | 5:41 |
| Total length: | 43:00 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Don't Stop..." | 4:45 |
| 12. | "We're Gonna Get There In the End" | 4:13 |
| 13. | "Mind Games" | 4:32 |
| 14. | "Pretty Boy" (instrumental) | 4:50 |
| 15. | "Dead to the World" (instrumental) | 4:13 |
| 16. | "Council Skies" (instrumental) | 4:42 |
| 17. | "Think of a Number" (instrumental) | 5:46 |
| 18. | "I'm Not Giving Up Tonight" (David Holmes Remix) | 5:42 |
| 19. | "Think of a Number" (Pet Shop Boys Remix) | 5:12 |
| 20. | "Pretty Boy" (Robert Smith Remix) | 5:43 |
| 21. | "Council Skies" (The Reflex Revision) | 5:25 |
| 22. | "Flying on the Ground" (Radio 2 Session, 08/09/21) | 3:14 |
| 23. | "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (Radio 2 Session, 08/09/21) | 2:17 |
| 24. | "Live Forever" (Radio 2 Session, 08/09/21) | 4:49 |
| Total length: | 108:00 | |
References
- "Noel Gallagher goes back to his roots on new album". RTÉ. 17 January 2023.
- "Noel Gallagher announces new album 'Council Skies', shares single 'Easy Now'". NME. 17 January 2023.
- "Where did Noel Gallagher get the album title Council Skies from?". Radio X. 17 January 2023.
- "Council Skies Track Listing". 17 January 2023.
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