My first review, you have been warned.
Released 2005 EPIC/Big Brother
* Liam Gallagher - Lead Vocals
* Noel Gallagher - Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals/Backvocals
* Gem Archer - Rhythm Guitar/Backvocals
* Andy Bell - Bass
* Zak Starkey - Drums
Well, here we are at 2005, more than 10 years after the biggest British group since the Beatles debut album, Definitely Maybe, came out. There is still a glimmer of light at the tunnel. Their freshman and sophmore albums, Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, respectivley, were arguably the most successful post-Beatles british albums. Maybe was awarded Q's #1 Most British Album of all time and the fastest selling debut in UK history.
After that, they took a downward spiral for many fans. Be Here Now is considered their lowpoint, although being very profitable and successful. Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants was a upward turn for the group, but recieved only mixed reviews. Don't Believe The Truth is the band's first proper album in three years, so lets see the Track - By Track.
1. Turn Up The Sun -- A very slow song, reminds me of a Christmas hymn of sorts. At about 0:40, the electric steady riff and timing heard throughout the album starts. Liam's vocals come in to the beat, sounding very aged since their debut. The "Love one another" section sounds very out of place. At 2:45, the Christmas section comes back, and with a guitar solo with lots of delay and piano lines in the back, both sounding very melodic with each other. Overall, pretty good.
4/5
2. Mucky Fingers -- Opens with a repetitive chord progression, sounding like something from a Kinks album. Very repitive until around the 3 minute mark, when the piano comes in and the bass gets louder, but up until then very boring.
2/5
3. Lyla -- The first single from the album, described as "Sally's Sister", possibly referring to "Don't Look Back In Anger". The guitar timing from Turn Up The Sun comes up, but with an acoustic guitar, with vocals also in the same time. The piano on the side adds a nice touch, and the chorus seems fitting, with Noel's backing vocals. The solo comes out of nowhere, showcasing some of Noel's fast and blazing licks for a small time. Overall, its repetitive like Mucky Fingers, but the solo really adds a great color. 4/5
4. Love Like a Bomb -- A very Beatles-esque song, and one of my personal favorite tracks off the album. The acoustic work blends with Liam's voice perfectly, sounding like a track off of Rubber Soul. At about 1:20, it breaks down to a faster and trippier section, with Liam's voice echoing and keyboards added in. The guitars & keyboards synched with his voice really highlight the song. Overall, one the best tracks on the album, and in my opinion, one of the best Oasis songs.
5/5
5. The Importance of Being Idle -- This track hit me in the balls. The sheer simplicity and lyrics are reminiscant of the Beach Boys, especially during the chorus when the keyboards come in. The solo is fits very good, and the march timing bridges are very nicely fit. The sliding electric guitar chords at the end on the E & B strings add a nice melody. An excellent song.
4.5/5
6. The Meaning Of Soul -- Three in a row, all amazing soungs. Unfortunatly, this one ends all too soon. Clocking at only 1:42, it leaves me wanting more. The quick pace and chorus really make it a semi-classic, plus a HARMONICA solo towards the end. If only it were longer....
4/5 for what it in itself, 3/5 at it's current state.
7. Guess God Thinks I'm Abel -- One of the more talked about song, due to the "Abel" spelling and reference (Cain and Abel were biblical brothers in a section detailing how Cain killed Abel) possibly to the brotherhood of Noel and Liam Gallagher. Anyway, the song opens with a peaceful back and forth guitar section, Liam's vocals coming in with a marracca [sic] like beat following. The lyrics are very relating to the Bible tale, about how friends could be enemys and the like. The guitar fills in the back are very fitting and Oasis-esque, such as those from Supersonic.The echo breakdown sounds something from a Beatles song, then blends into the heavy section, which is the real highlight of the song, only a few seconds though. Pretty OK.
3/5
8. Part Of The Queue -- A very upbeat song, with muffled vocals of sorts. The chorus opening ("Stand tall...") seems a bit out of place and structure. The solo is very amazing, blending the guitar into the piano section truely works, as both are great. The piano goes into the chorus, but there it seems a bit out of place with the vocals.
4/5
9. Keep The Dream Alone -- Whoa.Sounds very reminescant of Wonderwall and Live Forever, although not written by Noel Gallagher but Andy Bell. The back and forth work between the electric and acoustic guitars create a very strong mood, and Liam's voice at the 1:35 mark blew me away, how the echos add to the overall song. The following fill sounds like a distorted U2 fill. The song repeats itself until 3:35 when Noel's solo comes in, in a very out of place manner, with incomplete bends, until Liam's voice comes in with "Neh"s, then becomes more melodic. Pretty good.
4.5/5
10. A Bell Will Ring -- Is it just me or does the intro sound like the theme from Beavis and Butthead? Anyway, the vocals seem a bit odd and over mixed through the opening section. When the rhythem section comes in, it sounds very much like Ringo playing drums. Noel proceeds to do many fills while Liam sings towards the end of each verse. An OK track, not very good though.
3/5
11. Let There Be Love -- This is it, the song that fans have been saying is the new Woderwall. The piano sounds like a slow version of Let It Be, and the lyrics by Noel are the best I've seen since Morning Glory. From "Baby blue" on, this is the first time I've heard Liam and Noel switch vocal lead in a single song and it works extremely well, like "A Day In The Life" by The Beatles. The strings in the back don't go very well, and take away a lot of the momentum. Afterwards, a repeat such as the one in Keep The Dream Alive occurs, but with an electric, muted, guitar in the background. With it's flaws, like the strings, it is still an amazing ending.
5/5
Although it's not the mainstream comeback some have anticipated, it's still an excellent album. Maybe, next time around, Noel will decide to release 'Stop The Clocks' and THEN a comeback will occur.
Overall, 4/5.
