Oasis

Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants

Ambivalent is the word for it

Review Score:

(6/10)
It's undisputable. Oasis albums have all become bigger and louder over the years, and let's face it, much more complex. The songs tend to take up more time and more decibels, the arrangements are becoming more and more sophisticated... and yet, the results are barely up to par...

Compared to their 1994 debut, "Definitely Maybe" a rock'n'roll rollercoaster boasting optimism and joie de vivre, this is a much darker, tedious yet interesting album. None of the songs here will attach to your brain after ten seconds of listening, but they're not meant to. These songs are weary, angry and yes, mature. Gone are the days of shouting "tonight I'm a rock'n'roll star"; they are replaced with bitter reflections about the morning after.

The opening number is one of the most successful attempts at recreating the 60's from the Gallaghers gang, though it's not the Beatles they evoke this time, but Hendrix, The Who and The kinks in all their glory, and the combination with the electronic sounds of today is incredibly powerful, justifying Guy Ritchie's choice to use it as a boxing match soundtrack in his movie "Snatch".

The single, "Go Let It Out" is the perfect pop number, fueled by an extremely powerful psychedelic bassline (it's actually rumoured that Noel played all the basslines for this album himself). The simplistic lyrics and the typical Oasis chorus work perfectly together making it one of the highlights of the album. It is followed by "Who Feels Love", which completes a trilogy of great songs. Its oriental influences together with Liam's hypnotic voice and the atmospheric arrangement create a tune so grand you could get lost inside it.

Unfortunately, this is as far as praises go, for the next couple of songs - "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" and "Little James" - bring you right down to earth, and the impact might leave marks. These are songs probably copied from "Songwriting for dummies" and besides Liam's debut as a lyricist (stupid yet touching) they do not bring anything new with themselves. It only comes to stress the huge leap between Oasis ans their heroes, The Beatles - while Lennon's Beautiful Boy uses the same ingedients, for some reason it works, which is not the case here. However, with "Gas Panic!" things start to look up. This is a song that has not washed, shaved OR slept in a month, and yet you can't take your ears off it. The drum loops, reversed bits and Liam's strongly echoed voice take you inside the mind of a cocaine addict, and when it goes "Panic is on the way" you can actually feel it.

"Where Did It All Go Wrong" and "Sunday Morning Call" are both sung by Noel and both deal with rock-star weariness, boredom, disappointment and bitterness. Not extraordinary, but remarkable nonetheless, at least for their trademark Oasis singalong choruses an Noel's "heart-on-sleeve" lyrics.

"I Can See A Liar" follows, ruining everything the last songs created. An attempt to a rock anthem, this is at best Def Leppard at their worst, circa 1984. Complete with the "profound" lyrics "I can see a liar/sitting by the fire" (somebody remind them that it's actually "Liar liar/pants on fire"!!), this is a complete letdown and it doesn't even deserve to be a B-side to their worst single.

Finally, "Roll It Over" takes you back in the "Oasis world of epic anthems" with its big singalong chorus and larger-than-life arrangement. Unfortunately, it trips upon its own shoelaces and it doesn't quite reach the standards they set for themselves with songs like "Don't Look Back In Anger" or "All Around The World". Ambitious, yet disappointing.

In the end, you realize that Oasis ARE actually standing on the shoulders of giants, but ocasionally they fall off. And when they do, they fall hard. So... this leaves you with a 36 minute wonderful album, and a couple of B-sides on the side. Thank God for programmable CD-players!

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