Oasis: New Album Review

Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

Rating ***

Seven albums in and we’re all hoping, somehow, maybe, that 14 years on from their colossal debut Definitely Maybe and its follow-up (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? the Gallaghers plus the other two have made an album worthy of their god-like status.

In fact, maintaining such eminence seems a bit preposterous because none of the four albums that followed was worthy of a band often hailed as big as The Beatles.

Dig Out Your Soul has moments to shout: “Hooray, they’re back on track”. Bag It Up is a classic Gallagher anthem, and The Turning is big on atmospherics, dreamy pianos and soulful vocals.

Falling Down is another highlight, with Noel on vocals again. Packed with emotion, it’s the album’s best track. The Beatles-y I’m Outta Time is Liam’s predictable but admirable offering and includes a sample of John Lennon’s final interview.

ut we are disappointed once more. (Get Off Your) High Horse Lady has promise but instead heaves along like a weary pack mule.

And Andy Bell’s The Nature Of Reality drags on as does Gem Archer’s droner To Be Where’s There’s Life.

When will Oasis reinvent the wheel and give us an album we’d rather listen to than their Greatest Hits? JS

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Some Press We Have Received

Oasis was acknowledged for their digital presence at the BT Digital Music Awards last night, with a fansite winning an award for best music blog.

www.brandrepublic.com

Oasis won an award last night for best music blog at the BT Digital Music Awards www.myspace.com/oasis they put the wrong url :)

www.webuser.co.uk

Stop crying your heart out which was produced by a true Oasis fan took the people's choice award for Best Music Blog.

www.theinquirer.net

A site created by an Oasis fan took best music blog and features spoof videos of actor Stevie Riks playing Liam and Noel Gallagher.

The award was one of three “people’s choice” categories voted for solely by fans.

www.pressandjournal.co.uk

Thanks again to everyone that voted, all done now for another year.

My Review Of Oasis' Dig Out Your Soul

Dig Out Your Soul offers the first glimpse of an Oasis that doesn't constantly rely on past glories for reference. The fact it works on so many levels, elegantly and delicately exploring new territory in some instances, furiously and unrestrained breaking apart in others means that the 7th edition of the manifest effortlessly blows things around it into comparative insignificance.

'Bag It Up' is the next logical step from Lyla, it's brooding and unpredictable with a mild psychedelic taste, basically setting the scene for the rest of the album. It's best quality is arguably it's greater reliance on Noel and Liam's vocals which are a collective force throughout the album.

A fair number of seasoned Oasis fans have been desperate for a return to the sounds of the coke circus that was the 'Be Here Now' recording sessions and after the undoubtedly safe ground of the previous three 'Mark II' albums, 'The Turning' is perhaps the first time Noel's fearlessly put out a real belter that could have fit that bill of tracks. The chorus certainly could have sat amongst any of the tunes in the excess of the 1997 tour. The groovy intro has been compared to a couple of Stone Roses tunes which is evident in some areas but the relaxed airport lounge feel to the first verse is perfectly offset against the breathless choir backing in the heavier parts, if 'Falling Down' would be a great 3rd single, 'The Turning' wouldn't be an popular 4th if they wanted one.

'Waiting For The Rapture' is a proper stomper, how many other times it's been used to describe the most 'Beatlesy' tunes they've put out is irrelevant, if there's an Oasis song to stomp to it's this, you could stomp lying down. The 'Hey!' before the last chorus could almost be from John Lennon. And for the first time in this album, the blatant Beatles nick's come off really well. Noel has been trying more adventurous melodies for a while now, best results recently being 'The Importance Of Being Idle' where he produced a falsetto vocal that avoided any Bee Gee's glances and could as well be shouted back at him live, so similarly 'Waiting For The Rapture' is a compromise between a more experimental groovy element and a traditional pint in hand sing'a'along STOMPER!

'The Shock Of The Lightning' is definitely a highlight, which definitely sits between the Pistols and The Beatles, definitely no problem and we all agree with Liam on that. There can't be too many criticisms with it in all fairness, it's been played so much that no summary or comment will offer a new insight into how it works, it just does and needs little analysing, another listen is far more effective. Commercially, wastefully casual listeners might hover over it accepting it's another 'rocky Oasis tune' but you don't have to search that far for the essence of the track which is clear to see whilst it simply hammers away. Probably best heard when watching Liam stand eerily still whilst the band behind him plough away during that awesome last minute or so.

'I'm Outta Time' definitely lives up to the hype created by the comments circulating about the nature of the album's next stand out single. As with 'Songbird' and 'Born On A Different Cloud', it's sensitivity in the case of the former, or self reflection in the latter shows a rare glimpse of the Liam not plastered in the papers. In a way it represents how Oasis are at their best when shattering perceptions of some sort, 'Wonderwall' came after they were viewed by the majority as incentive could only stretch to Rock 'N' Roll. So whilst 'Meaning Of Soul' and 'Nothing On Me' are more than convincingly menacing, 'I'm Outta Time' has more arguably more depth than anything he's done so far and it's as good a ballad as Noel could write.

It's fair to say the feel of through '(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady) - with it's puzzling arrangement of brackets could have been predicted after a scan through the tracks Noel picked for last year's Radio One 40th Anniversary special where there was an undertone of psychedelic and drop D tuning grooves throughout. This track passes unnoticed in some respects and the fact that Noel remarked it could have been on Heathen Chemistry is hardly surprising, it's interchangeable with a few of the fillers on that album including hidden track 'The Cage'. It's a short rest in the album, the slow ascent up the roller coaster before the pulsating drop, which comes next.

'Falling Down' stands out for a number of reasons, firstly, it's difficult to imagine it anywhere in the Oasis back catalogue, if not for the the heavy psychedelic notches after the mostly acoustic introduction it could have perhaps been the best song on 'Don't Believe The Truth'. It has a pretty deep chorus, which most likely means nothing but it sounds cool whatever it supposed to say. 'I tried to talk to God to no avail' is set against a huge screen of strings, piano ladel blocks of epic chords changes, all that make it sound like a morbid interpretation of George Harrison's attempts to talk God in 'My Sweet Lord'. A Beatles nod certainly, but the next track basically nods with a mop top.

There are no guitars on 'To Be Where There's Life'. There's two sitars if the band are to be believed. Andy and Noel indulged themselves in the Abbey Road echo chamber with the instruments which were scattered over Gem's bass line, and if it had been attempted by any other band, such a blatant Beatles rip off would have been hilariously dismissed. It actually works pretty well, the psychedelic aesthetic works constructively under Noel's control, Liam sort of just turns the knobs as far as his vocal is concerned, but 'The Chief's' carefully placed harmony lines will be magic live. Ironically, their cover of Harrison's 'Within You Without You' sounds loads better than this track which sinically could also be described as a cover. Partly because their version of the tune last year was amazing but also because the ratio of Liam and Noel and Gem and Andy to John and Paul and George and Ringo is slightly out of sync. 'To Be Where There's Life' is more 'fab four' than anything else and in parts can sound a bit 'Listen to the Flower People' by Spinal Tap. It's just missing a ''We Love You'' whisper before the chorus.

'Ain't Got Nothin' has been out for a while, in spring 2008 a demo from the Don't Believe The Truth sessions leaked containing the track. It has a belting chorus and lyrically is not too dissimilar to Liam ranting about some band he hates, but musically it feels a bit too much like 'Meaning Of Soul' and it's a consolation that unlike that effort which had been so promising based on it's airing at Glastonbury 2004 with full live guts and attack, this track hasn't been 'Elvis'd' and we get the full heavy version that will sound huge later this month when the band play it live.

If there is a dark horse on the album, it's 'The Nature Of Reality'. It's as snarling and dirty as anything they've done and captures the live guitar sound they've had since Gem and Andy joined. It's the only song on the album contributed by Mr Bell which is a shame considering the quality of output that's come from him in the past eight years. It's opening guitar line sounds like 'Helter Skelter' and it's another track written in drop D giving it a rather trippy feel, as Liam sings 'It's only in your miiiiiiind' you can sort of imagine a scene from 'Apocalypse Now'.

'Soldier On' features one of the most crisp sounding Liam vocals on the album, the song itself it a bit sludgy and and something a little more epic ala 'Roll It Over' or 'Let There Be Love' would have been cool but as it stands it's still a good track. It conjures an image of a lion retreating back into his cage after mauling some unfortunate beast mercilessly for three quarters of an hour, savouring the aftertaste of it's victim. Like it knew just what it had done, and it tasted great.

5 stars out of 5

Thanks to Tom Carter for all the help with information...

Album Of The Week: Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

4/5

Liam Gallagher claims this is the easiest album Oasis have ever made. It could also be the most adventurous. But how would you know? Under the leadership of Liam’s big brother Noel, they have never been about adventure.

With their impassive stares, seasoned arrogance, increasingly domineering stadium sound and long-standing knack for window shopping at the museum of rock, Oasis are all about maintaining their brand.

Realising his limits as a songwriter – he writes a good song but it’s usually only the one song – Noel’s created an album that emphasises the groove or musical welly side of his band. There’s also a song apiece from Gem Archer and Andy Bell, confirming them as fully-integrated Oasis members.

Liam’s whine is every bit the equal to the band’s thermonuclear charge on the opening Bag It Up. And he does some lovely silky falsetto at the end of The Turning.

On Waiting For The Rapture, Noel plays Manchester Street Preacher, which is not bad but no match for little brother’s Lennon/Lydon sneer. And on his own I’m Outta Time, Liam shocks – revealing he’s even soppier than his big brother with the song including a sample from John Lennon’s final radio interview. Isn’t there a law against such flagrant graverobbing? Perhaps not.

Maybe it’s a mistake to listen too closely to the words, though. Falling Down is an excellently charged piece of Oasis music – imaginatively utilising echoey backing vocals, a piano breakdown and wired synthetic strings.

But the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. “Catch the wheels and break the butterfly” reworks an image from a famous 1967 newspaper editorial about a notorious Rolling Stones drug bust.
Perhaps Noel has decided that in the modern era, noncommittal rock lyrics make good brand-protecting business sense.

He must be aware as anyone of the dangers of speaking out of turn and upsetting audiences and the – always potentially lucrative – US market.

It’s seemingly left to Andy Bell to offer philosophical pause for thought with The Nature Of Reality. But relax folks, he’s a student of the Noel Gallagher school of songwriting – say nothing but rattle the big dustbin of rock history.

Well, they are at least as well equipped as anyone to do it.

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Dig Out Your Soul On Sale In Spain

A free T-Shirt is available to Oasis fans in Spain, if you purchase Dig Out Your Soul from El CorteIngles as site visitor Julen did today.

Stocks are limited so be quick.

Liam Gallagher Interview

Translated highlights from a interview with Liam Gallagher for Oor (Dutch magazine)

Was it a difficult record to make?

No. It was pretty easy. 4 months and it was finished. We recorded it in Abbey Road, which is fucking expensive and why we recorded it so quickly. We couldn't come late as well, it was right around the corner. Be Here Now was also recorded there, but that one wasn't so easy though. We drank and did so much cocaine that we sort of forgot abot the record. Don't Believe The Truth wasn't as easy either. We changed producers, changed our drummer and obviously Noel got a different idea about the record as well.

Is it true that Noel postponed the release date so he could support the English team?

I don't know, could be true yeah. They didn't make it, whatever.

Do you sit down to write songs?
No. I don't sit down about what I should tell the world. If there's a guitar and a recorder in the room I'll record the melody in my head. If not, no big deal. I'll just go do the dishes or start ironing my clothes.

You've been going on for 15 years. Ever thought of making a solo record?
No way. I feel good being in Oasis, I enjoy playing with these guys. I don't think about it, maybe Noel does. Why would you not want to be in Oasis? That's fucking bollocks. Solo records don't interest me at all. All Things Must Pass is a good solo record, the rest is shit.

How about Imagine?
Hmm yeah that one's alright. But All Things Must Pass is great.

Dig Out Your Soul sounds very psychedelic, why is that?
That must've been Noel's idea. He listened a lot to S.F. Sorrow of The Pretty Things. It's not all psychedelic rock though. There's a bit of everything. We don't plan these sort of things, we live in a bubble and whatever comes out comes out.

You can't convince Noel that one of your songs is good?
No. Noel only thinks a song of mine is a good song when one of his cool mates like Paul Weller thinks it's a good song. So thank Weller and The Coral for Soldier On.

How do you feel about the Chemical Brothers remix of Falling Down?
A disgrace. I don't like remixes anyway, they're our songs. Remixes are shit, our originals are much better. But 'ey, the Chemicals are friends with Noel, so whatever.

What's left to achieve?
America. Someday we'll be really big there. Just pay attention, it's going to happen.

Thanks to RNRS001

New Interview with Liam Gallagher Gem Archer & Andy Bell

Seow Jiamin in London

Mention the band Oasis and two things come to mind: First, the heady days of my youth when I would belt out the lyrics for What’s the Story, Morning Glory? without even really knowing what the song meant; and second, all the tabloid stories about the Gallagher brothers’ fights and brawling.

You can therefore understand why I was nervous making my way to interview the band in Camberwell, South London, about their seventh album, Dig Out Your Soul.

We’re talking about a band that gets into more fights than they’ve had gigs. Just a few years ago, 20 armed police officers were called in to break up a fight between the band and a group of Italians at a posh hotel in Munich when a drunk Liam Gallagher reportedly drop-kicked one officer in the chest.

As it turned out, my fears were totally unfounded. Upon entering the waiting room, I found guitarist Noel Gallagher, 41, sitting placidly in an armchair with a mug of tea in both hands, engaged in light conversation with other journalists about his music and television tastes (he doesn’t listen to music and he likes watching the news).

Lead singer Liam, 36, was very charming, chatty and charismatic, very often going off on tangents as new thoughts occurred to him. When he got excited about something, he would stand and wave his arms.

Guitarist Gem Archer, 41, sat attentively throughout on the edge of his seat, while bassist Andy Bell, 38, spent most of his time leaning back on his sofa. Meanwhile, Liam’s seven-year-old son, Gene, from his marriage to former All Saints member Nicole Appleton, rode around the room in a toy car. If he got too noisy, daddy would tell him to shush.

So, I rather enjoyed the interview. And it might have something to do with Liam complimenting me on my shoes. If you see Oasis wearing rhinestone-embellished Vans, you’ll know where the inspiration came from.

How’s life at the moment?

Liam: I love life. On the road, in the box, over to the right, over to the left. I love life, full-stop. How could you not like life? Even when it’s bad, it’s good.

Andy: We’ve all had bad experiences. We’ve all had them.

Gem: But the thing about it all ... When you’ve had a bad experience, you learn your lesson.

If you were to leave Oasis, what’s the first thing you would do?

Liam: I’d go buy a ticket to go see him (referring to Andy).

Andy: I haven’t got anything. They would have to kick me out.

Liam: No, we won’t. Sorry, we need you.

Gem: Don’t you even throw that ball at me. Right back at you.

Where do you get all your inspiration from when writing your music?

Liam: People, life ... Me personally, I couldn’t ever sit down and go, ‘Right, I’ve got a subject and I think I’m going to write about that’. I just sit and wait for it, you know what I mean? Life throws other things at you that can occupy your mind. So, I get my inspiration by not being inspired.

Andy: Completely. I’ve totally gone down that route before. And now when I write a song, I don’t rush any lyric at all, I don’t rush any of it. I just wait. If I’ve got two lines, then that song’s going to be two lines — until the next line.

Liam: The minute it starts getting a bit rushed and complicated, like panicky, then I don’t want to, you know what I mean?

Dig Out Your Soul was recorded at Abbey Road studios. Any stories to tell?

Liam: Quincy Jones walks in and he goes (puts on American accent), ‘Dude man, I thought you guys were a guitar band, man. I’ve never seen so many f***ing keyboards.’ That’s how we plan — we plan to go in there with nothing. And there’s always something going on. We rocked it, man ... We’re just a bunch of sh*t kickers from Manchester and Newcastle and Oxford, but we have top gear.

What’s your favourite song on the album?

Liam: I hate to say this, but I like them all. I like the whole thing. I really do. I dig the whole thing.

Gem: I can’t answer that question because it’s the same (as Liam) and they all have different little vibes, especially as we have gone rough. Some of them are a whole different kick up the arse. And the record should be listened to as a bunch. It’s made like that.

Liam: I think they are all there, man, the whole emotion. I think it’s a soul record, man.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?

Andy: The next one.

Gem: Ah, come on, man. We’ve definitely had some memorable ones.

Liam: You know, sometimes I sit there and I go, this is going to be a non-mover. They’re the best ones. You know the big ones, like Hollywood Bowl? Dude, it was the f***ing worst gig ever known to man. I hated it ... my soul just wasn’t rockin’. I can never ever say (which was the) best gig ’cos there were too many, but I can tell you sh*t gigs, and that was one of them.

What do you think about all these different magazine polls which vote you No 1, Best Album or Best Song or whatever?

Gem: Polls are great, sells records. It’s just one of those things, I mean really, it’s not about all that sh*t because music’s forever. Magazines go in the bin in two weeks, with all due respect.

This is the seventh studio album for you. Are you excited about the new release?

Liam: Yep, we were always excited about releasing new music. For me, anyway. It’s always nice to be a part of Oasis again, you know what I mean? I don’t know if the others feel the same way. I’d be excited if Oasis was releasing a hot dog or a newspaper or a new musical experience, a perfume or a branded funky weird old chair. I’d still be behind it all the way.

A perfume, eh? So if you were to release a new perfume, what would you call it?

Liam: I’d call it Mad Ferret, and it would smell like a mad ferret. We’re country people.

Source: Singapore Newspaper thanks to rocknrollstars_oasis

Noel Gallagher Interview From Absolute Radio

Noel Gallagher popped into Absolute Radio with Christian O'Connell live in the world famous Abbey Road Studios today!

Click here to listen to the interview.

Source: Absolute Radio