Oasis - Don't Believe The Truth

Written By Dan Franklin

Ah, a new Oasis record. Always a joy. Well, sometimes. In fact, most of the time, but sometimes they make me weep a bit when the likes of “ Force Of Nature “ ( from 2002’s “ Heathen Chemistry “ ) come on. And keep grinding on. And on and on. Shitly.

This is the first missive from the brothers Gallagher ( & co ) that I didn’t wank myself into Devon getting excited about during the pre-release build-up / hype-job. After the very real disappointment of 2000’s “ Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants “, and the re-heated aimless dirge of “ … Chemistry “, maybe I’d lost faith in the band’s ability to really move me anymore. Or even to put out a decent record, something which they used to make look ridiculously easy.

Not that I hated every minute of the aforementioned albums. “ Standing … “ had some stand-out moments like “ Fuckin’ In The Bushes “, “ Roll It Over “, and the huge, sprawling drug-ditty, “ Gas Panic “. “ … Chemistry “ had a couple of knock-outs in the form of “ Hindu Times “ & the best tune Mr. Lennon never got round to writing, “ Songbird “.

But to me, what these albums truly missed was verve. The spirit of life and fun that was the band’s defining attitude at the start. The reason why people ( including myself ) loved them so dearly. The reason why it wasn’t just about the tunes ( even though they were astounding in themselves ), it was also about the band. They made you wanna be a rock n roll star. They made you believe you could rise above and live life to the fullest. And most importantly, they could change your life.

I can sit here, hand-on-heart, and tell you they absolutely changed mine. For a skinny, unconfident, 14-year-old they meant the world to me, and installed something in me that I’ll never lose. However, that’s a story for another day. It can be today if you click this linky.

So what I wanted more than anything from this new album was a return of some of the guile, hunger, & spirit that had been so sorely missed since 1997’s overblown, yet pretty good in places, “ Be Here Now “. And an album which a bit of meaning and depth. Something Noel made look so easy on early classics such as “ Live Forever “, “ Cigarettes & Alcy “, and “ The Masterplan “. And possibly a bit of experimentation.

Does it deliver?

Yes, and no. Whilst some of the new tunes bounce along with real passion and soul, some merely dwindle and seemingly gabber gibberish throughout. Namely the cold-slap to the arse that is the lead-off single, “ Lyla “.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun tune, and I do enjoy it. But the lyrics look like they’ve been thrown-off in minutes, and instead of taking the time to say something, anything, like several other tracks on the record, it merely staggers on, says the standard Noel shite about stars and shining, and then waddles off again, leaving you grinning, yet feeling no different whatsoever. There’s nothing wrong with throwaway, fun pop ( see “ Roll With It “, for example ). But on this album, with superior Dave Sardy-assisted production, and different-sounding tunes, it feels strangely outdated and out of place. It’s like it’s been beamed in from a “ … Morning Glory “ b-sides rejections-pile, whilst the rest feel, well, almost modern, and representing the Oasis of now. It couldn’t scream “ The Commercial One Chosen By The Record Company “ more if it was wearing the t-shirt.

“ Turn Up The Sun “ is the best opening to an Oasis album since “ … Morning Glory “’s excellent “ Hello “. It explodes onto the scene with huge, strong guitar-licks, and pounding-drums, whilst Liam puts in one of his best vocal performances since, well, “ … Morning Glory “. Written by the unassuming Andy Bell, it hits all the right buttons, and finally imprints his presence into the band. A quite orgasmic opener, that sets up the rest of the record beautifully. The almost-Balearic outro is a true masterstroke, and really completes the tune.

The big stand-out of the first trio of tunes however, is Noel’s pounding “ Mucky Fingers “. Yeah, Lou Reed might have a case, and yeah, it’s all a bit messy, but what blows you away is the sheer excitement it crowbars into you from the first, head-fuck listen. It’s so different, and so intense, that sometimes I think it’s in the top ten best tunes ever written by the man. It’s just fantastic, and when you read about over-the-top, obsessive, Oasis fan boys hating it, you know we’re heading into uncharted territory, and it’s truly inspiring. Stirring stuff. It sounds like nothing Oasis have ever done before, and it works brilliantly. Huge kudos to Noel.

“ Love Like A Bomb “ is so simple and direct, it could be “ Songbird 2 “. Penned by Liam, it’s quite lovely, and floats along on acoustic-guitar like some kind of woozy-lullaby. I’ve heard some people call for this to be a single, but I’m not really seeing that myself. It’s not overly commercial enough for that status, but to close the first 3^rd of the album, it works beautifully. And yet again, Liam impresses with his ever-improving, soulful song writing.

And so we reach the point where Noel truly makes this album his own. The shimmering, brilliantly-melodic “ The Importance Of Being Idle “. La’s guitars spasm as Noel trills about losing his faith in the summer time, as “ it don’t stop raining “, all the while sounding like he’s having the time of his life. The 2^nd single to be lifted from an album that strangely feels single-less ( apart from the boozy, Slade-like sugar-rush of “ Lyla “ ), it’s a brave move, as again, it’s like nothing the band have ever put-out before, let alone as a single, where it’ll be scrutinised by everyone. A brilliant tune, and my favourite Oasis “ moment “ for many a year. Even old fighters can deliver a knock-out punch when their back’s against the wall, and this is Noel’s 2^nd of this album so far. Wonderful.

Liam fires in a 30-yarder of his own next, with the shuddering “ Meaning Of Soul “. All spiky punk-guitars and Weetabix-boxes being twatted with spoons, it sounds amazing, and Liam sounds like he wants to kick your Mum’s head in before shagging your Dad up the arse for dessert. A true, modern-day, Oasis rock-n-roll belter. Thrilling.

Liam ( and his ever-trusty acoustic-geetar ) returns again for “ Guess God Thinks I’m Abel “ where he invites us to “ go find a rainbow “. I’ve had worse offers. Another fine tune, but for me it seems a bit directionless. Like “ I’ve got a lovely opening verse Noel, check it “, then forgetting to write the rest til the last moment, and it doesn’t quite match-up, but we’ll record it anyway, as that verse was lovely, have you heard it? Slightly disappointing, as it could have soared, yet instead remains sat-down, with Gem boiling the kettle next door. The unexpected explosion of Liam-ness in the dying seconds slightly makes up for that, however. Just not worthy of being on this album, in my opinion, when there’s far stronger b-sides like “ Eyeball Tickler “, and “ Pass Me Down The Wine “ sobbing, rejected in the corner.

“ Part Of The Queue “ is pure Stranglers, and yet another strong-showing from Noelly. Love the guitars, and the lyrics, it’s nice breezy-pop with quality hooks, and a defining call to “ Stand tall, stand proud “. It’s no classic, but on this album, it fits perfectly.

Andy Bell returns for “ Keep The Dream Alive “, and whilst hitting nowhere near the heights of “ Turn Up The Sun “, it still shows just what an asset Bell can be for any band. It’s good, down-to-earth, quality song writing, but personally, the chorus doesn’t work for me much at all. Just feels so forced, whereas Noel’s feel so natural. The lyrics don’t really say much to me, and I find the production pretty tinny and hard to listen to, but then, some days I really enjoy it. I dunno, just a bit too weak for this album, I think. Again, one of the aforementioned off-cuts could’ve worked much better in the same placing.

Ah Gem, how goes it? “ A Bell Will Ring “ was debuted live last year, and I’ll be honest, when I heard the resulting live mp3, I thought it was horrific. In fact, when I heard it was planned for inclusion on this album, I nearly punched the dog. But … to be fair, it works here. The production is good, the tune has been beefed-up due to a decent Liam-vocal, the rest of the band seem alive and comfortable behind it, and as such, it’s grown on me. Still one of the weaker tracks on a pretty strong record, however.

Noel’s re-written “ Let There Be Love “ sits chubby and awkward at the end, yet for me, it really works. A love-lorn, heartbreaking duet between the boys Gallagher, it glides along with slightly-bland production, but makes up for lack of craft with sheer soul. It’s not the greatest Oasis-ballad, not in a million years, but as a closer to a strong, often baffling Oasis album, it works well.

So there we have it. Did it work for me? Did it meet my sometimes-lofty expectations?

For the most part, yes. At times it even blew me away. The only weak tracks in my opinion, that would’ve been better served as b-sides are “ Guess God Thinks I’m Abel “, and “ Keep The Dream Alive “. But even then, I think they’re decent tunes for the most part.

So, in closing, this record won’t change lives, but it’ll certainly put smiles on faces. It did for me. And for an Oasis album in 2005, maybe that’s enough.

Here’s to the next one.

Buffet Rating:

8/10

Fancy a taste? Try these:

Turn Up The Sun, Lyla, The Importance Of Being Idle.

Back