Oasis had probably one of the strangest break-ups in music history. When the band called it quits in 2009, Liam Gallagher and most of the band decided to stay together as Beady Eye, while big brother Noel essentially went solo and formed Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Both projects dropped their debut albums in 2011, and Beady Eye released their follow-up in 2013 before calling it quits last year. So it may be Noel who has the last laugh, as the High Flying Birds are still alive and kicking and have just released their second album, Chasing Yesterday (Sour Mash Records).

It’s a testament to just how massive Oasis once was that people still care about the Gallaghers. But while Noel is widely considered one of the best songwriters of the Britpop era, he’s also no stranger to clumsy, cliched, and ham-fisted lyrics. That’s kind of par for the course for Oasis fans. Those still carrying the flag for the band will probably find about half of Chasing Yesterday to be fairly pleasant album cuts, while the rest is filler. It’s not because the music is lacking. In fact, the band is on top of its game and the occasional interjection of saxophone gives the songs an extra push. But while Gallagher has always worn his influences proudly and loudly on his sleeve, here he cribs so freely it’s almost shocking. (Perhaps the title Chasing Yesterday is a cheeky reference to this?) There’s the part that’s uncomfortably close to “Stairway to Heaven” in “The Girl with the X-Ray Eyes,” and the moment that invokes David Essex’s “Rock On” on “Lock All the Doors.” The influences are so spot on one has to wonder if there will be checks that need to be cut.

The occasions on the album where Noel stretches out sonically and tries different stuff are where the album is most rewarding. While a whole album in the style of funky album closer “Ballad Of Mighty I” might not work, it feels like the type of personal game changer you’d hope the pursuit of a solo career would produce. Overall, the album is a mixed bag of songs that are satisfactory and an unsatisfying portion of the kind that leaves you wanting more. Essentially, the album is like the title suggests, going towards the future with one foot in the past.