Oasis have been in a bit of a commercial tailspin and creative holding pattern for the last 10 years, struggling to come up with albums as powerful and memorable as their mid-‘90s highlights. Dig Out Your Soul shouldn’t be considered a comeback, but it’s a strong entry in their oeuvre, balancing their Beatles obsession with a largely straightforward rock approach. The album won’t win back listeners who just want another “Wonderwall,” but it does demonstrate that Noel and Liam Gallagher still have some life left in them.
Musical Styles for All Tastes
Dig Out Your Soul offers a little something for every music taste. Fans of the band’s digressions into psychedelic ‘60s rock will enjoy “To Be Where There’s Life,” modern-rock lovers will dig “The Shock of the Lightning,” while those who just want a melancholy ballad should seek out “I’m Outta Time.” Beyond the diversity of styles, chief songwriter Noel Gallagher has also made room for his bandmates’ material on the record, as he did with their last album, 2005’s Don’t Believe the Truth. (In fact, two of the above-mentioned tracks are written by someone other than Noel.) At the same time, Dig Out Your Soul doesn’t sound significantly different than any of the post-Be Here Now albums, which have all shied away from the grandiosity of the band’s early years for a more reflective, mature approach. No matter who writes the song, it always comes out as Oasis.Noel Gallagher Still Runs the Show ...
For a lot of Oasis fans, the band’s decline began once Noel Gallagher proved incapable of delivering the seemingly unstoppable series of engaging hits that marked the group’s first two albums, 1994’s Definitely Maybe and the following year’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Still, Dig Out Your Soul argues that even if Gallagher’s knack for killer hooks may have receded, his songwriting has in some ways become more intricate and interesting. The album is frontloaded with his tunes, and it’s no coincidence that it’s Dig Out Your Soul’s strongest section, which includes the up-tempo “Bag It Up” and the sinister, apocalyptic “The Turning.”... With a Little Help From His Friends
When guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell contribute songs later on the album, they’re competent additions but not quite in Gallagher’s league. In fact, the only other band member whose songs match Noel’s is, ironically, his frontman brother Liam’s. For years just the singer of Noel’s compositions, Liam has lately managed to come up with a couple choice tunes on his own. On Dig Out Your Soul, his “I’m Outta Time” and “Soldier On” are real highlights.
Standing in Their Own Shadow
There’s a familiarity to the material on Dig Out Your Soul that’s very comforting – at this stage of the game, Oasis aren’t as concerned with breaking new ground as they are with maintaining a certain quality level. And as with any Oasis album, Dig Out Your Soul provides many fun opportunities to play “Spot the Beatles Reference,” such as on the lilting guitar coda of “The Turning,” which mimics “Dear Prudence” off The White Album. But at the same time, the album’s greatest liability is that its songs, no matter how good, call to mind earlier Oasis songs. This causes much of Dig Out Your Soul to feel like a shadow of previous glories rather than a bold reinvigoration. As the album’s last track says, this is a band that will keep soldiering on. They remain a solidly dependable group, even if their brilliant peak is now behind them.Best Tracks:
“The Shock of the Lightning”“I’m Outta Time”
“Soldier On”
“The Turning”
Release date – October 7, 2008
