Review: Dig Out Your Soul – Oasis

The promotional plan for the launch of Oasisâ?? new album included a short tour of the US in September. The gigs were cancelled however due to the injuries sustained by Noel Gallagher when he was attacked by an unidentified assailant while playing on stage in Canada. Whatâ??s significant about the album promotion in the US though is that the band made use of buskers in New York to play their new tunes. Over 30 buskers were employed to play new songs from the album at various locations across the city. Whether spurred by promoters or their record label (Creation/Sony BMG) this was a rare display of â??accessibilityâ?? by a band thatâ??s always been out of reach. You wonâ??t find the Gallaghers writing blogs or posting videos on YouTube. Oasis have always been bigger than that.

But theyâ??ve changed.

For many, Oasisâ?? best material has been their first two albums. Definitely Maybe was raw and confident while (Whatâ??s The Story) Morning Glory was vast and â??electricâ??. The success of these two albums is considered by many as the reason for Oasisâ?? continued popularity in the last decade. To some extent this is justified. The band didnâ??t do much with their sound. 2000â??s Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants was loose and didnâ??t have the spunk of earlier releases. Heathen Chemistry was, apart from the singles, pretty nondescript. But within the unremarkability of those releases were instances where Oasis shone, albeit not as bright as we wouldâ??ve liked.

â??Gas Panic!â?? on Shoulder Of Giants was an intimate piece revealing a band that could be melancholic in a deeply personal way. So with â??Roll It Overâ?? on the same album. These moments of self examination coupled with Oasisâ?? continued obsession with themselves (â??Force of Natureâ??, Heathen Chemistry), though couldnâ??t save Oasisâ?? early to mid-2000s catalogue, did show that the band still had it in them to create something substantial.

This was further strengthened by the release of 2005â??s Donâ??t Believe The Truth. The album, with its lead single â??Lylaâ??, was a return to form of sorts for the band, but more in the sense that the band had returned to where they started; taking a baby leap from the work on Morning Glory. Songs like â??The Importance of Being Idleâ?? and â??Turn Up The Sunâ?? saw the band get back to guitar heavy melodies with Liam Gallagherâ??s nasal drawl returning to (almost) its original self. Though the band were on the right track, they still hadnâ??t figured out what they were supposed to stand for a decade after they became big.

The answer was simple. Despite all the publicity surrounding every single minute detail of the Gallagher brothersâ?? life, they still did whatever they wanted. Theyâ??d ditched the drugs but still behaved like drunken buffoons, dissed other artists (Jay-Z, Kaiser Chiefs) and basically, behaved like immature brats. They didnâ??t stand for anything at all.

On Dig Out Your Soul we find this new Oasis refreshed and pounding. The sound is bigger, stickier and â??newerâ?? than anything weâ??ve heard from the band in the last decade. This is the evolution of their sound that weâ??ve been waiting for since The Masterplan.

Musically, the arrangements are large, almost Sgt Pepper-esque with choirs, organs and multiple backing tracks. Oasis are still stealing tricks from The Beatles, but theyâ??re doing it better, finding ways to make the sound their own. â??The Turningâ??, with its Bends era Radiohead intro and its piano laden outro, sees a whole new direction to the bandâ??s music. The heavy Britpop choruses are replaced with a new post-punk aesthetic. Sure, the arrangements are huge, but theyâ??re executed with Oasisâ?? renewed concern for the experimental. The refrain for â??(Get Off Your) High Horse Ladyâ?? (â??I donâ??t need a right tonightâ?) is a folksy-Black Rebel Motorcycle Club-esque blues guitar section. Itâ??s airy, coupled with a heavy bass drum and Noel Gallagherâ??s dry vocals. The melodies are strong and the mixing is perfect with Dave Sardy retaining his place as producer after finding his feet on DBTT.

Liam Gallagherâ??s writing has also grown stronger. He writes three songs on Soul the most outstanding of these being the tumbling rocker â??Ainâ??t Got Nothinâ??â??. Gem Archer (guitars) and Andy Bell (bass) also contribute a song each though Noel remains the primary lyrical driving force.

There are of course the usual excesses, over the immoderation of an already vast record, of any Oasis album (â??Itâ??s just rock â??n rollâ?) but these donâ??t deter listening as much as they did on DBTT. The change in sonic scenery is (pleasantly) surprising.

Soul is the product of a bandâ??s penchant for self-destruction turning into a channel for creative outlet. This is the old Oasis, and the new Oasis. Itâ??s exciting and the potential for a brighter decade is brilliant. Just like the start.

Indiecision: B+