You Get Your Mucky Fingers Burnt (Don't Believe The Truth - Oasis)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Don't Believe The Truth - Oasis
Date:	14/07/05 (143 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An exellent return to form and an album that really restores their image

Disadvantages: Even further from the Oasis of old

The return of Oasis has been probably one of the most anticipated albums of the year. They couldn't afford another album like Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants. In fact Noel was so cautious about this that after they'd finished the album he insisted they go back into the studio and rerecord half the album as he was wary of how it sounded. It's been three years since Heathen Chemistry and I was curious to see where Oasis went from there. The first single, Lyla, had sounded good and so the day it was released I was ready to part with my £8.99 for it.

On first impression it sounded like a good album. They had continued to change direction away from the early days and like Heathen Chemistry this had a much mellower feel to it. The main thing I noticed was a rather 60's sounding influence throughout the album. Some of the tracks wouldn't have sounded out of place on one of The Who's albums. The overall feel of the album was slightly different and the more I listened to it the more I appreciated this more mature sound from Oasis.

Like the previous album Don't Believe The Truth has a number of tracks that I loved instantly. There were however a few that took a few listens to really appreciate but they appear to be the stronger tracks on the album. Again like the previous album Noel has only written half the tracks and this distribution of writing duties certainly seems to have given the band a real revival. This brings up a very valid point, what now makes a signature Oasis tune? It used to be without question Noel writing and Liam's vocals but this change in responsibilities seems to have given the band a new creative outlet.

Musically the album has evolved even further from the debut album and those that followed. It's clear that after 12 years in the industry that Oasis have certainly mellowed. There can be a number of influences taken from the album with opening track "Turn Up The Sun" for me sounding like The Who at their best, while "The Importance Of Being Idle" was clearly influenced by the later material from Velvet Underground. The signature of Oasis is still clear in every track's with the guitars really leading the way backed by the rest of the band.

There seems to be a bit more freedom about the album though and that's perhaps down to this new approach by the band. While the tracks penned by Liam are quite simplistic they still work really well and show his writing abilities are still improving. Noel on the other hand still seems to be getting better and some of his tracks on this album are truly fantastic. Gem and Andy Bell have also contributed a couple of songs each and both continue to impress me with their abilities since they joined the band in 2000.

Each track has a nice beat to it that compliments the guitar nicely, while the bass quietly but skilfully gives each track a nice backbone. The more mature sound is also complimented well by the vocals. Like the previous album Noel and Liam take turns on lead vocals depending on the style of each track. For Liam it seems to be a return to the kind of vocals he's been missing for a while and for any Oasis fan that's a good thing. Noel on the other hand seems to be getting stronger vocally than he's ever been. In fact "The Importance Of Being Idle" is perhaps one of his best vocal performances to date.

In places the lyrics aren't as strong as they possibly could be, but a lot of the tracks are a lot deeper than anything that's gone before. Rather than a return to the sound of the early 90's, Oasis seem to be taking a different direction and I personally think its working. After 6 studio albums they have gone through numerous line up changes but have got back to the kind of music they'll be remembered for. No matter which direction they head in now Don't Believe the Truth will always be remembered as one of their better albums, especially with "Let There Be Love" being a touching and deep track with a nice Gallagher brother's duet really making it exceptional.

Overall you shouldn't be expecting the Oasis of old. Instead this new direction for Oasis seems to suit them a lot better than trying to recreate the past. In fact they seem to have stopped trying to emulate the earlier material and that has certainly worked in their favour. For me the weakest track on the album is the first single taken from it, "Lyla". This album is highly recommended for anyone who liked the single as personally I feel the rest of the album offers a lot better tracks than that. They are a band that people either love or hate and personally my love affair with Oasis will continue for a long time to come.

Amazon.co.uk: £8.49
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Summary: A return to form for Oasis, although a different direction form of old