Oasis Back In The Groove

Dig Out Your Soul

Sun Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5

For 15 years, Noel Gallagher has been making it look easy. But lately, he's just taking it easy.

Just dig into Dig Out Your Soul and hear for yourself. The seventh Oasis studio album is earthy and relaxed, noisy and experimental, groove-based and trippy -- in short, a big change from the tightly crafted Brit-pop of the band's early days.

This is all Noel's doing, of course. Or his undoing. Over the last few years and albums, the Mancunians' mercurial musical mastermind has slowly morphed from a blatant control freak into a laissez-faire, semi-benevolent dictator, gradually loosening his grip on the band's sound and songwriting.

Here, his passive-aggressive tactics have their pros and cons. On the plus side: These songs are warmer and livelier, avoiding linear verse-chorus-solo arrangements for looser, more organically flowing arrangements. The stream-of-consciousness approach is echoed by the atmospheric, layered production, with tunes casually flowing into each other, loosely connected by effects, field recordings or musical vignettes.

And while some cuts feel underwritten, Noel still hasn't lost his uncanny ability to skilfully rearrange classic-rock moments into songs that are more than the sum of their name-that-tune parts.

On the minus side: He doesn't do enough of it. Of the 11 cuts on this 45-minute disc, only five are new Noel numbers, with another being a recycled oldie. Three others come from singer Liam Gallagher, with a token track each from guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell.

They're okay, but honestly, they can't hold a candle to Noel's work -- which is why most of them are jammed onto the end of the front-loaded disc. Even the title is a bit of a burn. It sounds like a plea for spiritual self-examination -- but it's just a tossed-off line about a DJ playing old Motown records.

Bottom line: Dig Out Your Soul is still an intriguing and entrancing work. But Noel might want to consider cracking the whip a bit more next time.

After all, there is such a thing as taking it too easy.

Bag It Up 4:39

Hit the ground running? Not these guys. Instead, they warm up with a thumpy, mid-tempo groove that tops a simple, gritty riff and haunting keyboards with lyrics that claim "the freaks are rising up through the floor." As long as they're not rushing the stage.

The Turning 5:05

"When the rapture takes me," sings Liam, "Be the fallen angel by my side." Fittingly, the cut starts off simple and soulful, then launches into a fuzzy arena-rock chorus with soaring backups.

Waiting for the Rapture 3:03

Again with the Rapture -- but this time it's Noel on the mic, praising a woman who "put an apple in my eye" over a chugging, bluesy riff that borrows from The Doors' Five to One.

The Shock of the Lightning 5:02

The disc's first single is this pumping rocker with a hooky chorus, a Keith Moon-style drum solo, and lyrics about love being a "magical mystery." Huh. Where have we heard that before?

I'm Outta Time 4:10

Liam wrote three tunes this time. Here's the first: A slow 'n' steady Lennonesque piano ballad that even has a snippet of an old BBC interview with John. One for the girls, as Noel puts it.

(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady 4:07

The lazy stomp-clap rhythm echoes Give Peace a Chance, but the dry, rootsy shimmer of the guitars makes this the most American-sounding cut. It's also the oldest -- Noel says it's been around for eight years.

Falling Down 4:20

Noel (who also sang High Horse Lady) handles the vocals again on this string-sweetened psychedelic rocker topped with twangy Bond overtones. "We live a dying dream, if you know what I mean," he says. Um, not really.

To Be Where There's Life 4:35

Sorry, Noel fans: Starting here, he passes the songwriting torch for the rest of the disc. Here's guitarist Gem Archer's contribution: A hypnotic slow-burner full of sitar-like buzzing. Skippable.

Ain't Got Nothin' 2:15

Liam's second tune is this surprisingly punchy rocker bashed out in waltz time. It's short, sharp and simple -- but that's exactly why it works.

The Nature of Reality 3:48

Bassist Andy Bell splices bits of Helter Skelter, Revolution and a million blues tunes into a slow-whomping nugget of glammy boogie. Seriously, Noel couldn't have written one more song?

Soldier On 4:49

Liam takes it home with another plodding acoustic rocker. But while the song is nothing special, at least the echoing vocals and spacey keyboards are nice touches.

Source: www.edmontonsun.com