# The “arrogant” 2013 album Noel Gallagher called the most pretentious he ever heard

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-arrogant-2013-album-noel-gallagher-called-the-most-pretentious-he-ever-heard/
- Published: 2026-08-08T09:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-24T21:33:37+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/2013-album-noel-gallagher-most-pretentious/
- Topics: Americas, Entertainment, Music, World

## Key points

- Noel Gallagher called Arcade Fire's Reflektor pretentious without hearing it
- He dismissed double albums as arrogant, citing lack of listening time
- He also mocked the Reflektor Tour's formal/fancy dress requirement

## Summary

Noel Gallagher once branded Arcade Fire's 2013 double album Reflektor "arrogant" and "pretentious" without having listened to it, telling Rolling Stone that anyone releasing a double album needs to "pry themselves out of their own asshole." The remark fits a pattern of blunt musical put-downs from the former Oasis frontman, who has also mocked Radiohead, Jack White and Mark Ronson, but it drew scrutiny for its inconsistency given his admiration for The Beatles' own double LP.

Gallagher argued that in 2013 nobody had time to sit through 45 minutes of music, though critics note Oasis' own (What's the Story) Morning Glory? runs slightly longer than that, and several acclaimed double albums, from Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness to releases by Prince, Nine Inch Nails and Outkast, have proved the format can work. He also seemed irritated by Arcade Fire's request for fans to wear formal or fancy dress to their Reflektor Tour shows, mocking the idea in a mock exchange about attending a gig dressed as a "flying saucer".

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.