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Post by Beady’s Here Now on Oct 12, 2008 20:35:01 GMT -5
Oasis, the band that the critics love to hate since their perceived downfall from Brit-Pop, stemming from the drug-fueled, self-indulgent 1997 album, Be Here Now, are back with their 7th album. While Oasis have fallen somewhat since their mid-90s fame, they have produced glimpses of brilliance along the way in the form of songs such as Gas Panic, Where Did It All Go Wrong, The Hindu Times, Little By Little, and Song Bird, all from their 2000 and 2002 releases (Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, and Heathen Chemistry). It was their previous release in 2005, though, that turned the tide away from their inconsistent brilliance. Marked as a "return to form", Don't Believe the Truth was Oasis' most mature album since 1995's What's The Story Morning Glory. More significantly, however, it set Oasis up brilliantly for their latest release here in 2008 with Dig Out Your Soul. The troubled times of the early 00s and band inconsistencies are well and truly behind them. While Don't Believe the The Truth proved critics that Oasis were back on form, Dig Out Your Soul shows that their 2005 effort was no fluke as Oasis release their best album in over a decade.
The album kicks off in typical Oasis energized swagger and style with "Bag It Up." The opener sets the scene brilliantly, as it blends well into their second number, "The Turning," which is maybe the best song on the album, but nevertheless definitely one the many - let me add - highlights. The tune starts with a drum beat similar to the intro of Live Forever, so almost immediately the listener is eagerly engaged, and does not end up disappointed. The Stone Roses influence - primarily the vocals for Ian Brown - are recognized immediately once Liam's vocals come in as he sings "Eyes over the city/Rise up from your soul", but transform into a typical Oasis rocker during the chorus, which has a euphoric and epic feeling to it, as Liam orders "Shake your ragdoll baby/Before you change your mind/Then come on when the rapture takes me/Be the fallen angel by my side" - what Noel meant by "shake your ragdoll" is anyone's guess, but also irrelevant as the rest of the song is lyrically brilliant and awesomely rocking - even with a stunning and uplifting guitar solo reminiscent of Be Here Now. Next up is Noel penned and sung, "Waiting for the Rapture", which is a combination of Mucky Fingers and Force of Nature - not two of their best songs, by any means, but listeners rejoice - "Rapture" is much better than either, and continues the trend of a very strong opening to this album. That trend only becomes magnified as the second third of the album kicks off with their lead single - "The Shock of the Lightning". This high paced Oasis semi-love rock song, where Liam sings in his best voice since the 90s "Love is a litany/A a magical mystery" along with yet another infectious moment with "Come in/Come out/Tonight" (and Noel said this able wasn't catchy!), is Oasis are their best. Sure, it's an "Oasis-by-numbers" track, as most of their lead singles follow the same style - and is comparable being a hyper "Lyla" , should not be taken as a criticism. And once again, just like in The Turning, Oasis bring back the Be Here Now guitar style solo, albeit a bit too short. The album progresses from their into a Lennon-style Liam-written and sung ballad in "I'm Outta Time", which is on par with his 2002 effort, Song Bird. The album takes a further break, continuing with a semi-instrumental "Get Off Your High Horse Lady", wrongly compared to "Columbia", it's their first real weak track of the album, and it's not even that bad of a song. However, Noel redeems himself with "Falling Down" - perhaps his best song this decade describing how he "Talked to God but to no avail/Calling my name from out of nowhere/I said if you won't save me, please don't waste my time," and is a more heavy version of "Part of the Queue", and maybe even better.
Over half way through the album, and there's already been 6 amazing tracks, with "Get off Your High Horse Lady" being the exception - but even that's not bad, but rather average at worst. This leaves the listener with a few questions: "Is this really Oasis post-2000?", "If this is indeed Oasis, are we back in the mid-1990s?", and lastly "Is this too good to be true?".....To which I respond: "Yes", "No, we haven't traveled back to their glory days", and "Sadly yes"; respectively. I will prevent using the ever popular cliche of this album by not making the bad pun that the album "Falls Down" after "Falling Down" (really, it's not that clever), but the concept is indeed true. The last 4 tracks are considerably weaker than the previous 7.
"To Be Where There's Life" isn't a bad song at all, and I feel hesitant to even list it in this 'weaker' category, but that's a testament to the songs that came before it, and to the album as a whole if anything. This is where Noe's description of "Groove" is most evident, relying on a strong bass-line, use of sitars, and absolutely no guitars, culminating in the euphoric lyric, and title album "Dig out your soul." The last 3 tracks, Ain't Got Nothing, The Nature of Reality, and Soldier On - while they do have their moments - re mediocre, but worth a listen, anyway.
Oasis dug out their soul with this effort for the first time since the mid-90s, the question now is whether you will "dig it", and, let's be honest, there's no reason not to.
9/10
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Post by keystone1316 on Oct 12, 2008 21:47:48 GMT -5
your review doesnt really seem to indicate that the album deserves a 9/10
You gotta realize that a 9/10 indicates that the album is almost entirely devoid of flaws. A 10/10 is nearly impossible... and a 9/10 pretty much means that the album is an instant classic.
And yet you mention that there are 4 tracks that could be considered average/mediocre on the record... regardless of how good the other 7 are... when over 1/3 of the album consists of "average" tracks... id find it hard to give it any higher than an 8/10
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2008 22:00:43 GMT -5
That will show them!
Not really, but still. Good effort, I suppose.
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Post by nyr401994 on Oct 12, 2008 22:17:34 GMT -5
an unbiased review  |
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Post by ugottahavefun on Oct 13, 2008 16:32:54 GMT -5
horrible...horrible review.
You put way too much info into it
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Post by AKA_TheBrokenArrow on Oct 13, 2008 17:19:24 GMT -5
horrible...horrible review. You put way too much info into it lol exactly. You should have talked about Liam and Noel fighting, and stealing from the Beatles... while mentioning nothing about the music itself. That's what makes a good review. |
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Post by Beady’s Here Now on Oct 13, 2008 17:47:05 GMT -5
horrible...horrible review. You put way too much info into it It was going to be longer, but I got tired once I hit "To Be Where There's Life"....If I ever find the motivation, I will edit that part and write a better conclusion. However, I dare you....DARE YOU....to write a better introduction: Oasis, the band that the critics love to hate since their perceived downfall from Brit-Pop, stemming from the drug-fueled, self-indulgent 1997 album, Be Here Now, are back with their 7th album. While Oasis have fallen somewhat since their mid-90s fame, they have produced glimpses of brilliance along the way in the form of songs such as Gas Panic, Where Did It All Go Wrong, The Hindu Times, Little By Little, and Song Bird, all from their 2000 and 2002 releases (Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, and Heathen Chemistry). It was their previous release in 2005, though, that turned the tide away from their inconsistent brilliance. Marked as a "return to form", Don't Believe the Truth was Oasis' most mature album since 1995's What's The Story Morning Glory. More significantly, however, it set Oasis up brilliantly for their latest release here in 2008 with Dig Out Your Soul. The troubled times of the early 00s and band inconsistencies are well and truly behind them. While Don't Believe the The Truth proved critics that Oasis were back on form, Dig Out Your Soul shows that their 2005 effort was no fluke as Oasis release their best album in over a decade. ^ Fucking mint, that! |
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Post by start at the end on Oct 13, 2008 18:19:06 GMT -5
Sometimes I really dont think there's loads of critics that "hate" Oasis, but rather, just don't think that they are a really "great" band. SOTSOG, BHN and HC don't hurt their case either.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's ALL fair, but I do think that some people perhaps over-estimate this "vengenace" critics have for them. DBTT and DOYS both received fairly wide critical acclaim. You'll always have some detractors, that's just the nature of the beast.
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Post by rmillis on Oct 13, 2008 18:21:00 GMT -5
You are soooo money NL4E! haha
I like the review too.
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Post by jamesmorrison4evr on Oct 14, 2008 5:28:12 GMT -5
Liam and Noel are demi-gods, as im sure you, and particularly they, would agree. However, they have lost their way somewhat. I mean, the real theme of any song shouldn't be love, hate, sex....
It should be about attempting to estimate the number of roads that a man must walk down, before he can be called a man. It worked for Madonna!!!!!!!!!(who also explained to us that the times they are a-changin')
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Post by mostdefomaybe on Oct 14, 2008 8:02:41 GMT -5
your review doesnt really seem to indicate that the album deserves a 9/10 You gotta realize that a 9/10 indicates that the album is almost entirely devoid of flaws. A 10/10 is nearly impossible... and a 9/10 pretty much means that the album is an instant classic. And yet you mention that there are 4 tracks that could be considered average/mediocre on the record... regardless of how good the other 7 are... when over 1/3 of the album consists of "average" tracks... id find it hard to give it any higher than an 8/10 agreed |
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Post by Wonderwailer on Oct 14, 2008 12:19:02 GMT -5
Though I do admire you as a fellow erstwhile Crusader, Notorious, I do feel that your zeal is sometimes a little too extreme. Good to see you bat for the boys but I think you overrate this album. And you know I actually think that it does a band injustice to blindly agree with all their output.
Lets face it, Oasis WERE a great album band until 2000 (Be Here Now was their last truly cohesive album). Afterwards they have atleast maintained themselves as a great Singles band. Up there with the best I say. And sometimes they throw in a few extra goodies on the latest disc. DOYS is only half a good album. I think you just really love Oasis like me, but you really want them to be a good album band again so you are hyping the album, like a lot of other people on this forum. One day they will release another great album like DM and WTSMG and Be Here Now. DOYS is not that great album. Its a step in the right direction.
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Post by jasonbourne on Oct 14, 2008 12:42:47 GMT -5
However, I dare you....DARE YOU....to write a better introduction: ^ Fucking mint, that! I'm consistently amazed at L.F.E's unabashed self-congratulatory posts. Confidence is good, though. I agree. The early songs just had something special. I like DOYS, but it's really spotty. |
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Post by keystone1316 on Oct 14, 2008 14:51:07 GMT -5
Sometimes I really dont think there's loads of critics that "hate" Oasis, but rather, just don't think that they are a really "great" band. SOTSOG, BHN and HC don't hurt their case either. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's ALL fair, but I do think that some people perhaps over-estimate this "vengenace" critics have for them. DBTT and DOYS both received fairly wide critical acclaim. You'll always have some detractors, that's just the nature of the beast. totally agree. Seems like everyone on this forum believes that the critics are "out to get" Oasis. Idk tho, I could see how people who arent huge fans of the band wouldnt enjoy the last 4 albums very much. As a fan of the band, I enjoy them greatly, but I dont think the average person off the streets would find them as good as we do. The biggest surprise for me is that DBTT got good reviews for the most part. I like the album, but think its pretty spotty and that non-Oasis fans just wouldnt enjoy the thing at all. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2008 21:04:35 GMT -5
Liam and Noel are demi-gods, as im sure you, and particularly they, would agree. No, I don't agree. I don't think you really have any idea what you're talking about. A demigod is a mythological figure who has one god for a parent and one human for a parent (Hercules, for examples, is a demigod). A demagogue, conversely, is an orator who appeals to popular prejudices to stir the masses. Recently, as you are perhaps aware, Sarah Palin has been accused of demagoguery. Noel and Liam are neither of these things. |
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Post by jamesmorrison4evr on Oct 15, 2008 3:37:03 GMT -5
Ya your right, theyr actually fairly shit. Glad you pointed that out to us.
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Post by ugottahavefun on Oct 15, 2008 6:17:09 GMT -5
horrible...horrible review. You put way too much info into it It was going to be longer, but I got tired once I hit "To Be Where There's Life"....If I ever find the motivation, I will edit that part and write a better conclusion. However, I dare you....DARE YOU....to write a better introduction: Oasis, the band that the critics love to hate since their perceived downfall from Brit-Pop, stemming from the drug-fueled, self-indulgent 1997 album, Be Here Now, are back with their 7th album. While Oasis have fallen somewhat since their mid-90s fame, they have produced glimpses of brilliance along the way in the form of songs such as Gas Panic, Where Did It All Go Wrong, The Hindu Times, Little By Little, and Song Bird, all from their 2000 and 2002 releases (Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, and Heathen Chemistry). It was their previous release in 2005, though, that turned the tide away from their inconsistent brilliance. Marked as a "return to form", Don't Believe the Truth was Oasis' most mature album since 1995's What's The Story Morning Glory. More significantly, however, it set Oasis up brilliantly for their latest release here in 2008 with Dig Out Your Soul. The troubled times of the early 00s and band inconsistencies are well and truly behind them. While Don't Believe the The Truth proved critics that Oasis were back on form, Dig Out Your Soul shows that their 2005 effort was no fluke as Oasis release their best album in over a decade. ^ Fucking mint, that! .....yawn |
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Nov 4, 2024 5:04:30 GMT -5