Oasis - 'Heathen Chemistry' (Big Brother)
4/5
By: Toby L
'I love this record,' quotes chief Oasis songwriter and all-round honcho of the Manc quintet, Noel Gallagher, on their latest excursion 'Heathen Chemistry', continuing, 'But I would say that, wouldn't I?'
Actually, you probably wouldn't to be fair. The last two Oasis albums, although initially bandied around as being of a strong quality, were soon dismissed by not just the press - but also Noely G himself. Though, what with current times in music ranging more drastically than ever, there seems to be the case where Oasis aren't merely wanted by their fan-base - but needed. Proof of this can't come stronger than in the shocking achievement of the group's selling out of three days at London's giant Finsbury Park for this summer - in just one weekend.
But is the new material worth all the hyperbole? Well, who are we kidding here anyway; thanks to a massive cock-up at someone's end, this record, the band's fifth studio-effort, was leaked on to the Internet and downloaded by more keen rock 'n' roll fans than anything else of its kind - so you probably know whether this is worth a purchase or not by now if you're a true fan. However, for the sake of those that do want to keep the surprise existent for July 1st when the LP hits stores across the UK...
It's official: Oasis haven't developed leaps and bounds with 'Heathen Chemistry' - more likely, following their last album, 2000's mixed-bag affair, 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants', they've focussed on consistent song-writing rather than a vain attempt to stray into uncharted and less coherent territories. As such, the rewards are quite exciting; you get the growling rock-riffs of their latest number-one, 'The Hindu Times', guitarist Gem Archer's straight-forward and pounding 'Hung In A Bad Place' and the obligatory Oasis-epic moment - in the form of the stunning, Beatles-esque (shock!) romanticism of 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out'.
Aside from such moments, the gargantuan stadium-numbers don't cease to roll out, so expect sing-a-longs soon appearing to the likes of 'Little By Little', and disturbing grooving occurring to instrumental 'A Quick Peep' - as driven and penned by bassist Andy Bell - as well as a further musical interlude, existing as a secret track at the closure of the record. However, even superior are frontman Liam's own personal creations, all three being quite mesmerising, with the soaring Verve-like sentiment of 'Better Man' and the angelic 'Songbird' offering enticing highlights.
Obviously, then, what with this record self-produced for the first time by the group to date, featuring a broader spread of songwriting amongst the individual members and perhaps a batch of songs that will soon be etched into the hallways marked 'Classic Oasis', the group have overcome outside pressures to deliver the goods, instead working best when left to their own devices - and working under their own jurisdiction.
Now the sycophantic yes-men surrounding them seem to have disappeared, cross your fingers and hope that Oasis are going to remain such a focus as this for the rest of their career - and, if they manage to succeed in such a quest, then music-listeners across the world are in for one hell of a treat.
Artists in this article: Oasis
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