Oasis - Don't Believe The Truth

Genre rock Publisher Epic Records External Links Official Site Epic Records

I love the Gallagher brothers. Even when they make crap music they're at least entertaining interviewees. Their antagonistic and boastful behavior, fueled by equal parts drugs, drink, and fisticuffs made for fantastic reading during the dry creative spells between Be Here Now and their current, Don't Believe the Truth

To say Standing on the Shoulders of Giants and Heathen Chemistry were crap would be an insult to crap. There wasn't a smidgeon of what made this band great on their first three releases (Definitely Maybe, (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, and Be Here Now). It was as if a smug contentment had settled in. Like the Gallaghers (especially Noel, as he wrote the bulk of the band's songs) were too busy sniffing, swallowing, and shagging everything in sight to bother keeping up even the simplest of appearances.

It's no wonder that their status in America, already on shaky ground from the lackluster response to Be Here Now's more psychedelic vibe, quickly plummeted. Yeah, both Giants and Heathen debuted in the top 25, but then just as fast as they entered, they were gone. What's more, the albums had few defenders, and next to none were staunchly supportive.

At least they had their live show devotees. They're lucky we didn't give them the Robbie Williams treatment and bar them from stepping on US soil (we've shown you, Robbie! The rest of the world may love you, but we're still skeptical!).

However, it would seem that maybe the critical and public drumming the band took after the Heathen debacle has taken its toll. Because while Don't Believe The Truth isn't a return to the band's top form, it is at least a sprint towards it. It's just the desire for those pesky cigarettes and the thirst for a good pint of lager that must be preventing them from coming back full force.

Actually, the band is much calmer, more focused here. There is little to no swaggering (a good or a bad thing? I don't know yet) to be found, instead it is replaced by the strong desire to go the musical distance.

And Noel isn't the only one writing the songs anymore, either. Liam's been able to sneak one or two onto albums for awhile now (he has two solo credits and one co-credit here), but Noel's iron fist rule has unclenched to the point where band members Andy Bell (formerly of Ride) and Gem Archer are given an opportunity to contribute as well. With the addition of Zak Starkey on drums, this version of Oasis could be the truest yet (Oasis would appear to have a bet going with American bands The Warlocks and Brian Jonestown Massacre for how many members come and go within their ranks).

Things start off nicely with Bell's "Turn Up the Sun," a shimmering piece of dreamy pop goodness, replete with sleigh bells. Noel's vocal turn on "Mucky Fingers" is fantastic, the song among the band's best. The lackadaisical spirit of Noel's "The Importance of Being Idle" is also a blast. "I begged my doctor for one more line/He say 'Son ? words fail me.'"

The one-two punch of Liam's "The Meaning of Soul," a sped-up rollercoaster of a rocker, and "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel," a sly nod to the sparring nature of the two Gallagher brothers, shows that the younger Gallagher is fast on the heels of his older brother.

But nothing on the album quite reaches the level of the album's final track, "Let There Be Love." A gentle ballad featuring lilting piano and a marvelous vocal interplay between Liam and Noel, the song is heartbreaking in its beauty. Oasis hasn't made a song this emotionally stunning since Morning Glory's "Don't Look Back In Anger," probably my favorite Oasis track. It'd be nice if Epic Records released this as a single. More people might be willing to give this album a chance based solely on this one song.

Don't Believe The Truth may not be Morning Glory or Definitely Maybe Part 2, but it does signal a new path for Oasis, one that shows signs of great promise. This is the new Oasis. Say hello.