Premature Evaluation: Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
Pushing Noel off a stage in Toronto might bruise the erstwhile Oasis mouthpiece's ribs (maybe even his spirits) and cause the band to cancel a show or two, but nothing can stop the slow procession toward a new Oasis album. These things will arrive here/there for the rest of our lives, right? The big question: Do the songs sound at all like the NYC busker versions? The other question: Is it better than the Verve's Forth? No and yes: The songs sound better coming out of Oasis than the buskers and, yes, it's better than Forth (just in case you wanted to keep your psychedelic Brit rock pecking order in good shape). But does that make it any good?
We all knew Oasis loved the Beatles, so certain elements won't be a surprise: The second track "The Turning"'s outro makes use of "Dear Prudence"'s introduction and the ballad-y, supposed second single, the "I'm Outta Time," includes a vocal (spoken) sample of John Lennon (Noel's said this this track's for the ladies). Otherwise, the Beatles moments are there in the form of echoes. "Magical mystery" in the propulsive "Shock Of The Lightning" (a good Oasis song), etc.
The opener "Bag It Up" is a good one, overcoming lines like "I got my heebee jeebees in a little hidden bag" (did we hear that right? no!) to offer a mid-tempo Oasis rock 'n' roller. Not amazing, but a solid opener, especially when the strings and well-sculpted feedback tones come in toward the end: It feels like they're holding back a bit and waiting to show you something bigger (in this case, the aforementioned "The Turning," an album standout). "Waiting For The Rapture" -- "she put an apple in my eye" -- is a duskier bit that has something U2 and neo-Kings Of Leon to it (except, in terms of the latter, it actually goes somewhere beyond the blowdryer).
As mentioned, "Falling Down," which first debuted in Chem Bros Remix form over the summer, is different sounding (in a good, interesting way) with chillier tones and strings and windy, catchy chorus. It's an anthem, but an icy one. Oasis certainly love their big rock songs, but Dig offers some quieter, weirder moments like the smeary, snapping/hand clapping psychedelia of "(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady" with its repetitious percussion and guitar and boxed vocals, builds into a pleasing factory-like/railroad working groove. Nice.
Then it moves into an area where textures and sitars gain precedence over songwriting: "To Be Where There's Life" (the sitar-y psychedelic one) offers a interesting textures, but the the composition itself is pretty ho-hum (unless you did the right amount of drugs first). The same could be said for "Ain't Got Nothing" (the swirly rocker) and "The Nature of Reality" (the bluesy rocker with shakers and cacophonous, up-swinging chorus). Each sounds good, but keeps going without enough of a pay-off.
Dig closes out with the vocal palimpsest ballad "Soldier On" (overlapping, slightly out of phase vocals), which is pretty enough, but fades on a small wave of feedback and repetitions instead of coming to a hard stop -- kind of like this record.Dig Out Your Soul isn't amazing, and Noel's nowhere the genius he thinks he is (not even half...), but the collection has enough worthwhile moments, that fans shouldn't leave disappointed. After all, you are still a fan at this point.
Dig Out Your Soul is out 10/6 via Big Brother.
Posted at 5:28 PM in Premature Evaluation
Tags: Oasis
The funny thing is, Oasis will be around and popular long after this blog has faded into obscurity. You're an idiot, Noel is a genius.
Score = -54
around and popular -> dying of venereal diseases and drug overdoses
an idiot -> a smart cookie
genius -> bat-shit retarded man-child
Score = 3
You know, the first time I saw stereogum review something hilariously out of place for their audience, I thought "Okay, that was cute. Glad they've got a sense of humor. Now let's get back to real music."
And now this. It doesn't help stereogum reviews notoriously never actually say anything. This is just pointless anymore.
Score = 8
hey, Fact-cheaking music fan, chill out.
Score = 4
no, Fact-checking music fan. YOU chill out.
Score = 7
does our album really sound better on guitar hero?
Score = 5
Yeah man. It really does.
Score = 3
Track 5 is called I'm Outta Time...not I'm Outta Here
Score = 2
It's clear they wanted to make an album as opposed to a collection of songs. That said, while not necessarily weak tracks individually, the final three songs together end the album on a wimper. If Noel could have pulled a swirling psychedelic masterpiece of a groove out of his hat after "The Nature of Reality" Dig Out Your Soul would measure up with those other two. But alas this is a new Oasis and comparisons to the classics are unneeded and indefinitly annoying to anyone who has paid attention and enjoyed the band over the past five years.
This one marks up to par with Don't Believe the Truth, although clearly better if you like drugs. In all, a solid albumm of professional rock and roll by talented songwriters and if you don't like it, go listen to Vampire Weekend with a pitchfork up your ass and a sad look on your face.
Score = 3
Sure. I find Vampire Weekend more enjoyable than the crap Oasis has put out for the past 4 or so years.
Score = -5
odd review. couldn't tell if they liked it or didn't like it. also no, you aren't hearing right it's "got my heebee jeebees hidden in a bag". not much of a difference, but getting a song title and a lyrics wrong. um. how many times did you guys listen?? once while you were playing wii???
Score = 3
You're right! We need better earphones/or at least a better Oasis Translation Dictionary (which is why we asked above if we had the lyrics correct, you see). Fixed.
Score = 0
After hearing this album, it hit me: Oasis are the UK's Weezer (or Weezer is America's Oasis -- Whichever you want to say.) Each started off with two great career-defining albums, then the catalog gets shakey and then it all goes to hell. But we still keep giving them another chance, why the hell not.
Score = 24
got a lyric and song title wrong. maybe should listen more if you're gonna review it. also
"The other question: Is it better than the Verve's Forth? No and yes: The songs sound better coming out of Oasis than the buskers and, yes, it's better than Forth (just in case you wanted to keep your psychedelic Brit rock pecking order in good shape)"
don't you mean yes and yes? where was the no.
Score = -4
u need to go back a sentence to get the no: the songs sound better by oasis and are therefore not the same as the buskers. that's the no. how well did u do on the SAT's?
Score = 3
What's "out of phase" on the Soldier On vocals? It's just a delay. Terrible writing.
Score = 0
the delay puts the vocals out of phase or out of step w/ each other. the function like an echo (or call & response) instead of an overlap.
Score = 4
lol, please stop covering this band. thank you.
Score = -12
My track by track thoughts:
1. Bag it up rips off Go Let It Out.
2. From about 5:15 on this song is Wishing You Were Here by Chicago (?!)... which I admit to liking only because the Beach Boys did the harmony vocals.
3. This is just boring now. Whatever happened to their trick of frontloading all their albums?
4. This is an excellent single and the thing that got me excited about this album. Great verse, great bridge, but no chorus and no middle eight. Only Noel could take this few ideas and stretch it out to 5 minutes.
5. The verses on this are Little James part 2 if that tells you anything. The only encouraging thing is that it has a better chorus than anything that Noel wrote for this album.
6. He's taken the melody from Don't Call Me Whitey, Nigger by Sly Stone and tried to re-write it as Get On Your Camel and Ride with disastrous results. Awful.
7. Again with the Tomorrow Never Knows beat! Too bad the song isn't 1/1000 as interesting. It still manages to be more interesting than most of this album so far.
8. Here's where it gets really weird, Oasis rip off (get this) GOMEZ'S Hangover Girl for this one. It has a beat straight out of Noel's Beta Band phase he was going through around the time of Standing On The Shoulders of Giants.
9. Basically Meaning of Soul part 2 without the good ideas. Liam did do something interesting with the drums and stole the "waltzy bit" from the end of Rock and Roll Star... but that's AT LEAST the second case of them ripping themselves off for this record.
10. And just to round it off, let's end off with a really boring slow song with crap lyrics.
This just edges out the new Dandy Warhol's and Streets albums for disappointment of the year.
Score = -8
sorry, it's still not better than forth
Score = -6
"Now let's get back to real music"
more boring hipster music?
Score = -11
Ah yes. Saying "hipster" to be hateful. Cute.
By the way, the 70s called. We talked for about an hour, good conversation. They've been having some troubles at home, dad's putting the squeeze on them to join the fucking ROTC, you know how it is. Guy lives in the forties, man. Their kid is doing well though, 90s just graduated from elementary school. He passed, but it's shaky. Nothing fancy, just doing what he can to get by. Failing math and history but he's doing extra well in music and art and really, 70s gets it. He was the same just 10 years before. Or was he, it's getting so long ago, memories get muddied.
Also, they want their joke back, goldend. And their music, Noel. You lazy, uncreative fuckers.
Score = -3
um what?
Score = 5
WTF is this retard talking about? This is album is awesome, you can tell by the way he writes that the reviewer IS A MORON.
Score = -4
I love this comment. Please be my friend!
Score = 1
Kind of off topic on the back and forth Oasis bashing, but I gotta throw this out there:
Do the people commenting on this blog really have nothing better to do with their time than chuck insults out at Stereogum while hiding behind acquired masks of anonymity? And is bigotry still alive and well enough in the world today that people still use the "term" retard as a derogative insult on others' intelligence? Correct me if I'm wrong, Gum staff, but I'm seriously doubting any of you are mentally handicapped. And if you are, more power to you for overcoming physiological and psychological adversity!
I'm sorry... 90% of the people who have posted about this record thus far have done so in order to boost their egos and put down others. And they've done so in a way that leaves them completely exempt from any semblance of accountability. Has the modern age really degraded the human capacity for creative, civility and intellect this thoroughly? If so, I'm just going to say we're all on our way to hell in a hand basket.
As for the record, it isn't fantastic, but it certainly isn't terrible. And yeah, it probably is better than Forth. But, if you didn't get the memo, music is entirely subjective, so what I just wrote is simply my opinion. There are no rights and wrongs in music... tastes differ. Deal with it.
Thanks bigot blog community, for putting a downer on my cheery disposition this evening. Learn some manners before you post next time, pretty please?
Score = 14
are you really letting blog comments bother you? this is the internet, full of freakin idiots. The idea of getting smart responses is pretty laughable. great album by oasis. also, in regards to the hate, bashing oasis is soooo 5 years ago. i just roll my eyes nowadays. they just look like fools when they talk like that.
Score = 0
Great self-awareness, Matthew...
Score = -1
i personally think it was an ok review-he did a track-by-track evaluation,and conveyed his disappointment in the end-sure he didn't explicitly say "i hate this album" but anyone with the most basic grasp of english can comprehend what he meant.
also,'forth' was crap fyi
Score = 0
"bashing oasis is soooo 5 years ago. i just roll my eyes nowadays. they just look like fools when they talk like that"
Hahaha yeah geez isn't it obvious that Oasis-hate to solidify your 'indie cred' went out of style years ago. Now, you're just a hipster doofus. I don't have any problem with people who criticize Oasis, except of course when its coming from a stereogum message board.
Score = 1
BEST RECORD OF 2008. PURE AND SIMPLE. THE TURNING IS OASIS' BEST SONG! I GIVE IT AN A++.
Score = -1
nice colored "revolver" esque album art
Score = 0
My premature evaluation is that it is shit, Oasis sucks, not even tempted to listen to it.
Score = -8
This band is a joke with a huge ego...
Score = -6
More like huge bank account. Now who's the joke?
Score = 2
it's funny just to see people hate Oasis, when they dont' even listen to them. Oasis have made it so you either hate them or love them(more noel's fault imo) so it's not surprising. just kinda funny and pathetic. What matters is that most oasis fans are really digging this album. which hasn't happened in a looooong time.
Score = 4
"bashing oasis is soooo 5 years ago. i just roll my eyes nowadays. they just look like fools when they talk like that"
Hahaha yeah geez isn't it obvious that Oasis-hate to solidify your 'indie cred' went out of style years ago. Now, you're just a hipster doofus. I don't have any problem with people who criticize Oasis, except of course when its coming from a stereogum message board.
Score = -1
Oasis are one of the most uncreative, same-y bands I can think of. How have they managed to last this long?
Score = -4
well, they didn't really survive in the US and other places when they started putting out really crap records in the late 90's early 00's. what brought em back was making pretty good music again. Seriously, how often did we hear from them from like 98-2004? not much. people are paying attention again cause they put out a good record in 05 and now another good/better one.
Score = 4
Hey Rebecca. What bands do you like? I guarantee I'd be able to rip them apart in no time. But you wouldn't care would you? Well neither do I about your opinion.
Also, your point that Oasis has sounded exactly the same for the past 14 years is incorrect. Uncreative? Sure 'Waiting for the Rapture' has clearly stolen from 'Five to One' but I don't care and it sounds good to me. What are you gonna do about it?
Score = -1
I don't know if this relates or not ...but it's nice to see Bon Jovi's still going so strong as well. HE"S so hot he even hosted SNL last year...
Score = -3
Just wondering, what opinion here concerning Oasis is actually original ?
Score = 4
premature evaluation of the new oasis but no review of the new jenny lewis cd? lets get with the times.
Score = -3
tool.
Score = -1
i gotta say i'm glad stereogum does cover Oasis. they don't ignore bands just cause they're big. i think that's great, they don't come off as snooty elitist music bloggers. unlike this guy above me, i heard the new jenny lewis album sucks too. i think this album is Oasis officially being back. even the guardian thinks it's good. i don't expect much from pro reviewers anyway. it'll pick up Q's best album, and maybe get a Brit nomination.
Score = 5
I always love the comments on the Premature Evaluations. "OMG I LOVED THIS ALBUM AND YOU DIDNT SO THAT MEANS YOU ARE A TERRIBLE WRITER/A 'HIPSTER'/GAY/RETARDED/GAYTARDED." C'mon guys, it's just someone else's opinion, it isn't going to steal your Oasis album from you and shit on your face.
Score = 3
lucretius hated his childhood, and now he's ranting on an indie elitist message board. God I just hate bands that try to stick around too long, damn them for making good music and being on a major label. Stop wasting my time with music news stereogum!!! I just want to hear about Kings of Leon and other Indie gods!
Score = -3
haha, you vlearly know a lot about music to consider KOL "indie gods"
Score = 0
clearly*. ugh.
Score = -2
"Oasis are one of the most uncreative, same-y bands I can think of. How have they managed to last this long?"
This is particularly ironic since the new album is uhh quite different than earlier records.
Score = 2
Sooo everybody looks so smart here. now for everyone who said that this album is great i wish you a great life, the rest should go to the doctor and check your heads.
The truth is that being an Oasis fan is a total different thing. Of course there are some songs wich are similar to beatles songs or the doors ( for the person that said something about Chicago, get a boyfriend) but this only remind us the shit music we have nowadays ( fuck Coldplay and Viva la Fucking vida). If you really check on other bands songs I am sure that you can also find them similiar to other songs or tunes. So wether you like it or not Dig out your soul is still going to be out there. So whenever you hear the shock of the lightning or Bag it up and you start moving your head to the beat think of this. IT´S MUSIC YOU FUCKERS. AND THAT´S THE END OF IT. ENJOY IT!!!
Score = 3
Oh Yeah. Well, Fuck You and Fuck Oasis.
Score = -3
Oasis are arrogant manc-bastards, who wish they where the Beatles,but are too nbred to have any creative talent. Perhaps the sheer number of times i have been fored to endure wonderwall has made me bitter, but these guys are decent NOT A LEGENDARY BAND as the "front men" seem to think..
Score = -3
who the hell is BONVOYAGER?
Score = 2
i just got the new issue of SPIN and holy shit this h=guy is a fucking loon
he just keeps railing on radiohead as if they are competing for best british band ever
this guy has the biggest ego on the fucking planet and it's too bad because he is not nearlt as genious as he says he is... this fucker even admitted that all the music was create when he was high... so now i fucing hate oasis and its retarted lead singer... this shit is gonna cause blow up and i can't wait fuck him i hope no one buys his shit
Score = -3
i am curious, and this is based on your comment; have you actually graduated from kindergarten?
Score = 2
to lazy to spell check
but seriously read that article it is fucking rediculous
Score = 0
Forget spell check. How about some fucking punctuation?
Score = 0
pretty sure a spell check would take care of that too :)
Score = 0
yeah i totally agree like 'whats the story morning glory' is fucking INCREDIBLE! but like everything else just isn't good! I agree about the Weezer thing, both bands should probably stop.
Score = 0
Definitely Maybe is a better album than morning glory. don't believe the truth and more so this album is great. and the bsides album "the masterplan" is better than a few of the real records.
Score = 4
There is no better band than The Verve.
Oasis is a publicity stunt. That's all they are. The Verve's "Forth" is the best album of the year.
Score = -8
Shyt review son
Score = 0
jay-z already murked these bitches, fuckoutta here!!
Score = -1
come on shake your rag doll baby!
Score = 0
No. No he's not a genius. He's utterly boring, as is Oasis.
Score = -4
I happily listened to Oasis during the Strokes era when everyone was saying how bands like the Hives blew them away ( now it's, Hives who? ), and I'll probably be listening to them during the Panda Collective Crow-crap Ewok neo-hippie nightmare we're currently going through. That being said, they're still not even the best Britpop band ( no it isn't The Verve, it's The Charlatans. )
Noel is a canny marketer who knows how to stay interesting. He is an Everyman when it suits him, but one who also boasts about his extreme wealth. He can also dip into the extreme Socialist position like some kind of "Off with their heads" revolutionary, and when that gets boring he throws out Biblical references and plays the Old Testament prophet. I myself love their songs, but am getting sick of Noel's lack of a point of view. This is not just his problem, it's a problem of almost all rock music, mainstream and underground. Too vague and spineless. I wish he was Biblical ALL THE TIME. Because that is where this band truly does blow away the fancy little hipsters and their Banhart-isms about itsy bitsy spiders. If he stays on that prophetic path, Noel may have finally solved the secret of how to age in rock music. He could be the Moses of rock.
Score = 5
oasis 1st two releases (DM & MG) are the best 1st two releases of all time ... period ... it took until arctic monkeys released whatever people... to break the 1st week sales record in 2005 ...
whatever they did from that point in time on - wtf are you people talking about ... you cannot go anywhere in the US and not hear live forever, champagne supernova, et al. & you cannot name an american band (excepting pearl jam) that had any presence in the US beside al of that shitty hip-hop & gangsta rap that commands the same presence
personally, i am a huge fan of brit pop but finding fault with a band whose music will still be relevant in 50 years is a fairly tall order - & i bet you all liked every beatles album too ...
frankly they can say & do what they like - their frickin rock stars they do stoopid shit and so does mick jagger & steven tyler & all the rest - HELLO
Score = 1
Only oasis generates so much love and hate towards a band.........which only serves to indicate just how powerful they are.......the haters still find it necessary to waste their time banging on about how crap oasis are.....whilst taking the time to fill message boards wtih their comments.....it's funny really......why don't they just not bother and get on with spending more time liking a band??!!! BECAUSE WHETHER YOU LOVE OR HATE OASIS, YOU CAN'T AVOID THE FACT THAT THEY ARE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BANDS OF THE LAST 20 YEARS!!!!!
Score = 1
important?
HILARIOUS.
Score = 0
dan deacon is an artist you would describe as important.
Score = 1
honestly.. im a huge fan.. since Def maybe.. and this record is embarrassing.. Their worst record yet. Regardless of how important they are.. I hate how fans are always like "Ya, but oasis did this so that means they are the greatest".. they write catchy brit anthems that are fun to sing along to after a bunch of pints.. and this record is MISSING THE MARK.. very wide. Hopefully the broken rib will knock the wind BACK into Noel 'cause all these darker, more minor, living outside the oasis box just wont do.. I blame KASABIAN. Fags.
Score = -1
honestly.. im a huge fan.. since Def maybe.. and this record is embarrassing.. Their worst record yet. Regardless of how important they are.. I hate how fans are always like "Ya, but oasis did this so that means they are the greatest".. they write catchy brit anthems that are fun to sing along to after a bunch of pints.. and this record is MISSING THE MARK.. very wide. Hopefully the broken rib will knock the wind BACK into Noel 'cause all these darker, more minor, living outside the oasis box just wont do.. I blame KASABIAN. Fags.
Score = -3
i previewed this album yesterday, and i'm still fuckn drooling.
this is a creative, well thought out record. brilliant work by oasis!
Score = 0
They shot their wad on What's the Story.....it'll never be the same.
Score = 0
Some of the songs on the CD are good, some aren't.
Score = 2
grace6697: "Important enough" for you to bother reading the comments on this board - including mine.....why is that???!!!!! Why bother??!!!!! Now that is hilarious. Oh and the other thing is that they've actually sold 25 million records since WTSMG........so that makes them important to more people than most other bands........
Score = 1
Allmusicguide had previously given 'Don't Believe the Truth' 4 1/2 stars but after theiy gave 'Dig Out Your Soul' 4 1/2 stars they went back and reduced the review of 'Don't Believe the Truth' to 4 stars.
Please, send hate mail to AMG. Thanks.
Score = 0
Jesus, this is still on the Most Commented list? Guess I didn't do much to change that just now...
Score = 0
I haven't even actually heard the whole album yet, but it's sounding much better than the stuff they've done the last couple of years.
Now i'm a huge Oasis fan (from back in the day) been to loads of their gigs, including at wembley stadium which was incredible, but the last couple of albums have been fairly dull, so peoples reactions are understandable.
What really annoys me is that there are so many people posting on this board commenting that the record is shit; as if they given it an unbiased opinion, when the tructh is they've never liked Oasis (even at the height of their popularity) so would natually think that the record was shit regardless of how it sounded, why bother commenting if you don't even like the band? Your comments are a foregone conclusion because you dislike the band, therefore will not like the album.
So here you are, in keeping with the majority of the feckless morons who have posted so far i will now review jay-z's next 5 albums, i know they haven't even been written yet or possibly not even discussed, in fact, he may never even make another five albums, but either way i think they're rubbish. i've never heard such crap in all my life, i don;t like any of his songs and never will. therefore albums = rubbish.
i know it's completely unreasonable but that seems to be the theme here so there we go.
Score = 1
I'm a big fan but expected more after the amazing single 'shock of the lightning'. Still trying to get into it though and it still pisses on anything else out there.
Score = -1
I haven't heard Oasis in years...just listened to 'Don't Believe the Truth' last week and I thought..wooh...they're back!!!!
So i eagerly get a copy of Dig out your shit (or something)...and guess what....Don't Believe the Truth will probably be Oasis last album that is actually worth listening.
Dig out the shit is plain crap with repetative monotous songs from beginning to end...Holy Shit!!! This album should have stay undig, deep 6 feet under ground where it belongs.
Bye bye Oasis.
Score = -1
OASIS IS THE SHIT!!!
THIS IS FOR THE HATERS...
OASIS GONNA LIVE FOREVER FUCKING IDIOTS!!!
HAHA!
AWEBO PUTOS!
Score = 1