NME Godlike Genius 2012 // Noel Gallagher

Last Monday, NME announced that they would be awarding this years Godlike Genius award to Noel Gallagher.

For almost two decades the Gallagher brothers have always been seen as a pair and it's only in the past few years that they have been viewed as seperate beings.
So what is it that makes Noel the 'godlike genius' of the pair, and so deserving of this prize over his younger sibling?
Let's delve into this complex relationship and see what we find.

The most obvious place to start would be Oasis.

As a band they notched up 22 top ten hits, along with holding the Guinness World Record for being the most successful act in the UK for an entire decade.
That, in itself, would be enough for anyone to get such a prestigous award... but it still doesn't make it any clearer as to why just one of the brothers are receiving it.

The vocals were shared between the brothers on their records however Noel was also the lead guitarist of the band whereas Liam would supply some tambourine every now and again.
Now, I don't know about you but I know which one I would be more impressed by.
As well as that, all of their hit songs (and then some) came from Noel's mind so it would seem that a lot of their success was dependant on the older of the two Gallaghers.

Perhaps talent isn't the only thing we can judge this on though.
Liam Gallagher is somewhat infamous for having a fiery personality.
A moment I'm sure we all remember would be the incident of the BRIT Awards 2010.
Let's refresh our memories...



However, Noel isn't exactly a saint either.
He's also known for being rather controversial with the words he chooses to speak in public.
One of the most controversial incidents being when he stated that he hoped members of the rival band Blur would 'catch AIDS and die'.
As well as having a rivalry with other bands, there was serious sibling rivalry between the two Gallaghers which wasn't exactly hidden from the public and in August 2009, it became too much for Noel as a fight broke out between the two backstage at a gig in Paris and led to his departure from the band.

Now, the two brothers are working on music seperately: Oasis still exists, without Noel, under the name of Beady Eye and Noel has put together his own band, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.
Perhaps their seperate projects will only add fuel to the fire, as competitiveness is inevitable between siblings. So which band will come out on top?

Beady Eye released their album Different Gear, Still Speeding in February 2011, reaching #3 in the UK chart.
However their singles such as The Roller and The Beat Goes On didn't do as well as the album, reaching just #31 and #64.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' self-titled album was released in October 2011 and managed to reach that #1 spot and still exists in the top ten today.
And their single The Death of You and Me topped at #15 in the UK charts.



I think we can see now why Noel is receiving the Godlike Genius award this year, following the likes of Dave Grohl (last year's winner).
He deserves to be commended for the music he has brought the world and will hopefully continue to do in the future and for being one of the most talented musicians to come from the UK.

On finding out about winning the award, he told NME:
"I would like to thank NME for bestowing upon me such a great accolade. I have dreamt of this moment since I was 43 years old. I accept that I am now a genius, just like God."

Music Recommendation // Grouplove

You know you watch too much tv when you can tell what advert is on tv without even having to look at the screen.But every now and again a new one appears and I have to add it to my memory bank.The brand new iPod touch commercial is an example of this.
The song used for this advert is what made it stand out for me...
As soon as I heard it, I fired up my laptop and went straight to google...I needed to know what this song was.
"Tongue-Tied" by GROUPLOVE.



I recognised the band name...and soon realised I had become a fan of them a few months earlier and yet they had completely escaped my mind.
Their song 'Colours' had been the first one to catch my attention.
A song I had posted onto my Facebook profile (as I only tend to use Facebook to promote bands I find and fall in love with) and had received no feedback from my unappreciative 'friends'.

So now here's my second attempt to convince people that this band is worth checking out.


Their debut album, released in 2011, is titled 'Never Trust A Happy Song'.
It leaves a lot to be desired... and yet creates some mystery, perhaps enticing a person to take a listen.
To me, the title is somewhat ironic as the majority of songs on the album have a cheery sound to them.
I realise it's only January, but like any Brit I'm looking forward to the Summer already and this album would be the perfect soundtrack to anyone's Summer 2012.

'Naked Kids' starts off with the lyrics:
Cruising on the highway with my friends, top down
And we're all on our way to the beach.
If that doesn't scream Summer then I don't know what does.

So take some time out, put this album on and let it blow away your Winter blues.