Reviewing an Oasis album is a nightmare. I really want to enjoy the album for myself, but then I know I have to review it and be objective at the same time. Being such a huge fan, I find it hard being critical. So what to do? I’ve listened and listened for two weeks and here are my feelings.
First, I’m pissed that there are only nine tracks. The first track, “Fuckin’ In The Bushes”, is an annoying collage of music and sound that you will only listen to once. But even when Oasis annoys you, they quickly make up for it. And what do they do? Follow that piece of crap with the anthematic “Go Let It Out!”
How I love the big boisterous vocals that Liam unleashes. He lets it out and opens up loud. The organ sounds like it was stolen from “I Am The Walrus”. What else is new?
And how about Oasis going psychedelic? “Who Feels Love?”
is just that. Mix in a little funky percussion, a reversed loop, and some doubled up vocals and you’ve got the closest Oasis has ever gotten to Height-Ashbury. Coming off of that, the boys pull out the manic rock track “Put Your Money Where Yer Mouth Is”. With a big booming drum meeting you at the door, you can only imagine what is on the other side. “Put Your Money Where Yer Mouth Is” and “I Can See The Liar” are the closest they’ve been to sounding like their much-lauded first album.
The biggest surprise is that Liam actually penned a track on the album. Any Oasis fan knows that the songs are always Noel’s territory. “Little James”
is a track Liam wrote for his wife and her son. The lyrics aren’t very good. Now I can see why Noel has turned Liam down in the past for songs he’s submitted. I know the song is sincere, but it’s lyrically weak and if it weren’t for Noel dressing it up nicely with an absolutely amazing orchestration, this song would have been pure agony.
They’ve got a few more surprises up their sleeves.
Noel sings on two tracks: “Where Did It All Go Wrong?” and “Sunday Morning Call”. “Where Did It All Go Wrong” is the typical lovely track you are accustomed to getting from Noel. “Sunday Morning Call” is ballad-like too, but with a different ingredient. The pre-chorus builds perfectly into a wonderfully full chorus. Noel is one of the most prolific writers of the last ten years.
Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants is mixed up differently from their previous releases in that the slower tracks fall closer to the end. “Gas Panic!” is a track that Noel wrote one night when he couldn’t fall asleep. This is my favorite track. Lyrically it is grand. The first verse starts gently, but beware as Noel cranks it up the next time around with Liam never holding back. “My family doesn’t seem so familiar/ and my enemies all know my name/and when you let me tap on your window/ you better get on your knees and pray/ panic is on the way.” They end with the slow but steady “Roll It Over”. This is a very filling track that frolics in your subconscious forever.
This time around Noel didn’t opt to write the big brazen anthems and took the straight-ahead rock approach. It was appreciated. Be Here Now sounded too right, too produced, and just begged to be loved. Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants is similar to their first two releases which touched on life and love. Oasis is back to what got them on top, and that is cocky, but sincere.
+ charlie craine
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