Review Summary: Oasis continue return to form started with Don't Believe The Truth, and really show they are going from strength to strength. Not quite What's the Story mark II, but probably the album Be Here Now should have been.
So here it is, the new Oasis record. Everytime one of these are released, the hype is almost unbelievable, a fact that has not always worked in there favour.
By 1996, Oasis had released two of the greatest British Rock n Roll Albums of all time, Definately Maybe and What's the Story Morning Glory. With this came immediate worldwide success, and for a time Oasis were the biggest band on the planet. But with that success came incredible pressure, and their next album, Be Here now, duly suffered from it. After that, Oasis never really got back what they once had.
But then came 2005, and oasis launched back with their 6th album, Don't Believe The Truth. This album garnered critical acclaim from everywhere, and Oasis were back. Now, with a more mature perspective, they have released Dig Out Your Soul 3 years on from that success.
And what an album they have given us. Whereas DBTT was a stripped down, guitar, bass, drum, vocals effort, DOYS uses a little more experimentation.
On opening track, Bag It Up, we have a stomping guitar rythm, backing up Liams vocals(which are sounding better than ever). If this song doesn't whet your appetite for what comes next, then you are a hard person to please.
The Turning and Waiting For The Rapture come next. The Turning is a more laid bakck effort with piano's and an almost jazzy drum beat leading the way. That is until the chorus, where the song bursts into life, and Liam truly gets to show off his rock n roll voice.
Waiting for the Rapture is the first Noel sung track, and is a heavily bass led, an almost lazy stomp from beginning to end. But it truly is a fantastic song, with all the swagger we have come to expect from Oasis. And Noels vocals are as fantastic as they ever have been.
Next we hit the single, The Shock Of The Lightning. This is possibly the albums high point, with a fairly simple guitar riff, backed by an organ giving the music much more depth. The song is a blazing rock n roll song, drums battering their way to your ears, and never slowing down. Again Liam's vocals lead the way, making sure that Oasis arrogance never falters. An almost seamless transition from Verse to Chorus may bring criticism from some quarters, but it just seems right in this song.
Out of time is a Liam written track, and may actually be the best song he has written. Starting with almost James Bond-like tune, the song is mainly acoustic guitar, with some piano peircing the ambience it creates. The song builds to a lovely chorus, that really is one of the most beautiful songs Oasis have ever made. And again I have to praise Liam's outstanding vocal performance.
(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady follows. The Noel sung, slightly country-tinged effort may not appeal to some, but is a strong song to lead the way to Falling Down, which is another of the album's high point. Again, Noel sung, the song is largely acoustic with some piano in the background, and the drumming throughout it is fantastic, making this one of the best songs Noel has ever written. Reminiscent of Part Of The Queue from DBTT actually.
After that song, the album does lack any hard hitting songs that really stick out, but To Be Wheres Their Life is the last of the nice, acoustically led tracks. After that Ain't got Nothin' is song that clocks in at just over 2 minutes, and is an almost bluesy waltz, with some crunching guitar riffs to keep it heavy. This is followed by The Nature Of reality, which is probably the closest to simple Rock n Roll, with a simple Riff echoing in between every Liam sung line. Very Led Zeppelin, this track does put in mind 70's hard rock, with a very groovy undertone.
The album finishes with Soldier On, which is a decent closer, not the strongest Oasis song, and by no means a standout track, but is does the job of wrapping things up. A mixture of heavy and soft, the song is difficult to describe, and may take some getting used to.
Overall, this album is a fantastic follow up to Don't Believe The Truth, and is the best album since What's the Story. Oasis have hit a new form in the last few years, and with 3 albums still remaining
on their contract, they should be watched closely as their is more to come from the first modern band to need no introduction.
