New Oasis Review

Sorry it’s been a while… there, I said it!


Man, I’ve been awash in new music lately. Let’s just say that it is feeling like the Brit-pop heyday of the nineties all over again. As of late, I’ve been digging new tunes from Paul Weller, The Verve, and Oasis. The Weller record is strange, but fine. It’s hard to believe that The Verve has been around almost 20 years, and we’ve just received their fourth studio album. If you dig the other three, the new one, Forth (oh, I get it…) will fit right in. With that aside, let’s get to the important matters.

So, I’m listening to an advance copy of Oasis’ new record, Dig Out Your Soul. Another album, another silly title that makes no sense. Reviews have been very slow in appearing on this record (granted it’s not out until October 6th,) but most interviewers who have heard tracks have been praising the boys for a return to form. I disdain anyone who says that a band has returned to form, because it implies that they’ve not developed in the years since their first albums, and that they slipped colossally from the heights of those days. Oasis never really fell from that peak, they just made slow progress for the last few albums. Their last LP was well received critically, and it certainly made a lot of people interested in hearing what this new LP was going to sound like. In a nutshell, it sounds quite good and quite different.

To say that Oasis has had a rough-go over the last decade is an understatement. They inherited the reputation for following in the footsteps of rock greatness and excess, sharing that lineage with acts like The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Guns and Roses. Very few acts have the talent to back up rock’s excessive dark side. While the world was tuning in to the crappy pop-slosion of the ‘90s and early 2000s, Oasis slowly ground away at a return to anthemic rock. I still reference their first record as probably the best debut record of all time. Their second LP blew away an notion of a sophomore slump. By the time they dropped #3, the cocaine snowstorm (ala Stone Roses) started to blow its fierce winds upon the land of Gallagher. Not content to simply overdub a few guitar solos on top of each other, Noel wanted 37 tracks of him playing at once. The idea was to make some kind of neo-Wall of Sound record to blow out all the stops. What resulted was a record with brilliant singles and much filler. The fact that they hardly ever play a single song from the record live is a testament to what must be the internal feeling about that era. Not wanting to sound negative about it (as I really do like that record,) let’s just say that “All Around the World” more than paid for the bloat on the rest of the record. Literally. I still hear it on AT&T commercials… I digress.

Stuck with a poorly received album, founding members quit. They still made plenty of money touring, and still had some cred with fans and critics. The following records were a document of a band in transition. There were moments of brilliance with their new members and somewhat stripped-down sound. I remember listening to albums like Heathen Chemistry and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants with a grimace. I had to make plenty of excuses in my head to get through them. In the years since, I’ve fallen in love with those records because I stopped expecting them to equal the brilliance of their first two LPs. Enter Don’t Believe the Truth. Expecting another by-the-numbers album, I was totally floored to hear the band in very strong form. This was the record that I was waiting for. I could pull it out and play it for non-fans and feel like there needn’t be excuses. I saw them on that tour (as with almost all of their US tours,) and was amazed at how it worked so well live. Mind you, their drummer was Ringo Starr’s son. Young Mr. Starkey was also a member of The Who, having been trained by Keith Moon himself. As much as I loved Alan White, Zak was amazingly better. He survived until halfway through this record, before quitting for good. Sad, that.

I’m sitting here listening to the new record which will drop shortly. One thing is for sure, Noel’s claim that they were throwing out the typical rules of songwriting, rings true. The album is very groove focused. There are definite shades of Noel’s work with Chemical Brothers. I just am not hearing a single on the entire record, which is about the best compliment that I can level at it. That sounds negative, but if I’m not hearing a single, it means that the album works as a whole, with consistent quality. There are no attempts to sound like any other record of theirs. Maybe it’s due to the fact that they switched labels, but it is very welcome to have a cohesive and well-made album from this band again. Overall, the album is very psychedelic without relying too much on forced lyrics about plasticine and rocket ships. Everything down to the artwork suggests that they were going for the psychedelic feel this time out. Does it work? For damn sure. In comparison to The Beatles, this album arrives as a kind of drone-y and heavier version of the Pepper/Mystery Tour era.

Let’s take it by the numbers:

1) “Bag it Up” – Nice slinky psych-pop opener. You can hear the total shift in sound here. Right from the get-go, most of the classic Oasis elements have been thrown out of the window. It’s immediate and claustrophobic at the same time. The care that they put into the grooves on this record really show how far they’ve come as a band. The beauty of this record is in the rhythm section. It is sad to see Zak gone, because he and Andy Bell are so interlocked on this album. The end of the track dips into The Beatles territory (surprise,) which sounds very apt.

2) “The Turning” – The groove continues. They’ve gone into very dark territory for this track. The layered keyboard work here is quite nice. Setting tone for the rest of the album, it is a long song, which relies more on mood and groove to keep the listener interested. Oh, it ends with a bit of “Dear Prudence”… fun!

3) “Waiting for the Rapture”- Holy crap! Once you’ve heard the opening to this track, you know that you’re in for something quite different than normal Gallagher fare. This album is very minimal in so many ways. This track is pure minimal joy. I’m a sucker for Noel’s vocals, and this song has some fine falsetto work. Overall, it’s a very minimal-yet-swampy T-Rex vibe.

4) “The Shock of Lightning”- This is the first single. The angular melody is gorgeous and raw. Some typically silly lyrics (Love is a time machine up on a silver screen… err… yep,) but it sounds so outrageously anthemic that you cannot resist just bobbing your head along.

5) “I’m Outta Time” – The requisite Oasis ode to Lennon, including samples of John from an interview. Liam so desperately wants to BE John Lennon. Noel makes fun of him for it, but Liam’s taking the “proof is in the pudding” approach. He really has come a long way toward being a great songwriter, and this tune is absolutely gorgeous. It reminds me of Free As a Bird and Real Love in so many ways. Mellotron ahoy!

6) “(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady”- This one is quite interesting. It’s basically a rewrite of “Hi Heel Sneakers” mixed with the “Give Peace a Chance” rhythm track. When it really kicks in at about 1:40, once again we are in non-typical Oasis territory. The minimalism is confusingly brilliant. Maybe Noel should have been stripping it down years ago.

7) “Falling Down” – This track is very Chemical Brothers. It really reminds me of “Setting Sun”, which Noel wrote with the Chems. It slows down that track and goes for a beautiful and creepy vibe. I’ve been dying for a solo record by Noel, and this is what I would imagine it to sound like. Intriguing. It’s funny how George Harrison was tapping this kind of songwriting style back with “Within You Without You”. Lennon did it with “Tomorrow Never Knows” as well. Those two were… advanced.

8) “To Be Where There’s Life”- Aw hell, I’m gonna draw a comparison to Kula Shaker here. This is what KS could have been if they did not get lost in the joss stick mist of Krishna consciousness. This kind of reminds me getting stoned in college and grooving to “Raagy One” by Kula Shaker. This is probably the best put together tune on the record, sitars and all.

9) “Ain’t Got Nothin’” – Damn this track is gritty. Perhaps the weakest of the bunch, it is what Mikey would describe a “Hauptschule”. Nothing clever or deep about it, it must be fun to play on stage.

10) “The Nature of Reality” – I thick blues, it is riff-rock to the core. If you go for that sort of thing, have at it…

11) “Soldier On”- Hey, it’s “Mambo Sun” from T-Rex and “Better Man” from Heathen Chemistry! Well, after that intro part is gone, it is quite dreamy and spooky. It’s a nice finish to the album. Liam sounds very good on this track.


I very much like this record. Psychedelic music has been threaded through the decades since the ‘60s, and this is another take on the genre. It really is a departure from the Oasis formula, and bodes well for their next release. You do owe it to yourself to pick up a copy if you admire dark and moody psychedelic albums.

Harde-har-har

Follow the link and spend the 30 seconds to complete this game. I assure you that the song over the end credits will make you fall out of your chair...

You Have to Burn the Rope

No Words Can Describe This!

HULK SMASH!

Quick note... saw the Hulk movie yesterday, and loved it. I researched a bit and heard that there are quite a few hidden Easter eggs in the film. Google "G4 hulk interview", watch at about 2:58-3:00, and you can see (by the HUlk's right hand) the figure of Captain America with his shield quite clearly. You may need to watch a few dozen times, but it is for sure there. WOW! Dorky...

Wrap-up from last night.

Last night's show went well. Aside from a broken saxophone (fixed with tape,) the show went well. It always feels good to give back to the community, and this year's cause was pretty great. Considering the amount of homeless people in Seattle, anything to ease their burden is fantastic. Thanks to all of you who made it out for a fun evening.

Other than that, I'm now hopelessly addicted to Facebook, so find me on there. I just wish they had more music options.

Noise for the Needy

realizing that my previous post with this title was blank (duh,) I thought I'd rectify that. We are playing tonight at the Sunset up in Ballard at 9 PM. The show is one of the benefit concerts for Noise for the Needy this year. All this leads me to give a piece of advice to all you rockstars in training. DON't SHAVE YOUR HEAD BEFORE A GIG!!! I'm remembering the last time I shaved my head and then played a show. Let's have an equation of what will happen, shall we?

1 hot venue + 1 bald head + hard work = nothing to stop sweat from rolling into one's eyes. Ouch!

Maybe I should rock the headband?

Dig it...

Autumn Island by The True Bugs

Every once in a while, I like to slip in an album review on this old blog. I’ve toyed with the idea of just having a review-only blog, but that’s another battle for another day. Anywho, I’ve been addicted to this album for the last week now, and it’s time to shine a light on a great album from 2007. I am speaking of Autumn Island, the swansong by The True Bugs. Let dissect…

The now defunct True Bugs have made a great rock record. The music grabs you from the get-go due to the immediacy of the songs coupled with supremely evocative lyrics. Mike Gervais has a great way of weaving little vignettes of heartbreak and resignation into beautiful self-contained universes full of political fire, social disillusionment, and an overwhelming adoration of the natural world.

The album is coming from a very specific corner of the post-“American Century” landscape. Anyone half-conscious of the current political climate who was born during the seventies or eighties will immediately latch on to the coming-of-age in modern America theme of the album. In less capable hands, this could have turned out to be a preachy mess. If you need a comparison, listen to early Springsteen or Mellencamp. Mike carves out the same territory by making intensely personal and detailed observations from the point of view of very real characters who inhabit his 3 minute slices of life. The power of all three as songwriters is that they bring you directly into the lives that they are examining without pretense or judgment.

The lyrics are dense and beautiful. Here are some random lines from the record (as best as I can transcribe…) I’ll arrange them as sentences, because they sound as if they should be in the middle of a novel.

Cars drive by on a tandem-highway. Paul and I work on my bike in the driveway
‘til Diane says “come in I made some dinner darling.”

Spiced tea steeped in its cup on the table. Sirens scream out a warning as flashes burn and as ashes fall on land that’s known a thousand fathers.

Silently she wipes the grease off of the cutting board, smiling as she’s dying for another hour more.

Drops cling to drops as the air begins cooling and fall through the mid-Autumn sky.

Open the door - handle creaks as it turns - to newspaper smell and dry eyes.

And no, he’s not coming back again, letters can’t bring a reply. Desert sand drains his memory, staining rocks red as they dry.

Cracked into wakefulness - coffee and corridors -the river is rusty today.


See what I mean? The man is no slouch when it comes to filling his songs with visceral details.

All this talk of the lyrics doesn’t mean that musically there is something lacking. The album straddles the territory of Neil Young and ‘90s rock. Fans of Wilco (the “real” Wilco, of AM/Being There/ Summerteeth fame) will feel right at home. It’s all very competent sounding, with great little flourishes here and there. One of my favorite tunes on the record is “Morning After”. It’s all very carnival-esque with flashes of Dark Side of the Moon-like saxophone in the opening. Much like other songs on the record, it’s a twist on familiar conventions of rock and roll. There’s enough to feel comfortable about in the music, but there’s always a bit of something extra thrown in. “Morning After” falls into a very slow blue-beat feel at times before shifting back into gorgeously slow guitar passages. Many a modern band could learn more about playing with slow intensity by listening to this record than thousands of others. Not for one second is any of the power or passion lost because people aren’t screaming and playing at breakneck speeds.

Overall, there’s not much to dislike about this record. In fact, it’s damn fine. It’s a very smart album without being too clever. In a strange sort of way, I would love to sit down with the Bush administration and throw this record on. I think that it would be a very revealing picture of where we are as a result of their policies and practices. Yeah, it really is that political in its undertones, but as I said before, in less capable hands, it could have been too preachy. What we’re left with is a fantastic snapshot of one writers take on modern America.