Chemical brothers
March 24, 2006 | 12:00am
Noel Gallagher said a while back that he doesn’t care if they sell another CD or not. I’m sure he didn’t really mean that, but Oasis’ magical influence on the record-buying public has indeed significantly dwindled since the late 1990s. Their last studio album "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants," while a vast improvement musically, was not a commercial success. And even Gallagher and his young brother Liam had to admit that they were no longer on a pedestal.
That was two years ago. And now that the band has regrouped and took its sweet time producing another record, it is safe to say that "Heathen Chemistry" will certainly make some noise in the market. I mean it is the band’s best album since "(What’s the Story?) Morning Glory," and that was way back in 1995! Who knows? They might even once again glide onto the top of the charts the way they did during their heyday. It’s that good, believe me.
For the first time, an Oasis album sounds clean and crisp – not musically, mind you, but in its sonic presentation – a technical achievement that elevates the sound extensively. Liam Gallagher also wrote four of the CD’s 11 tracks – quite an achievement for someone who was regarded by many as "just a throaty singer." And the only downside to this record is that his equally egotistical brother Noel sings three of the songs. I’m not saying he has a bad voice, but it would be even better if he had just left the vocals to his sibling.
The package opens up with the recently released single Hindu Times, a momentous rocker that keeps getting catchier every time you listen to it. It may not be a classic, with its rhythm (inadvertently?) being ripped off from the Rolling Stones’ Street Fighting Man I think. Force of Nature then comes in, with its decent piano playing and a jab at his ex-wife Meg Matthews with the lines "You’re smoking all my stash/burning all my cash…"
If there’s another interesting point here, it’s that the third track, Hung in a Bad Place, is a return to the old Oasis sound of "Definitely Maybe" – their first lucrative studio album. Ironically, it was written by guitarist Gem Archer, with Liam adding growling vocals to it. After a tune called Little by Little (which, I think, will be released as the next single), Songbird slides in – a simple jingle with no percussions penned by the younger Gallagher where he shows a softer side of his singing, reminiscent of the Married with Children track recorded eight years ago.
Stop Crying Your Heart Out then shuffles to the beat, which sounds a little like Be Here Now’s Don’t Go Away. A barrage of Beatle tributes and influences cover much the second half of the album with All in the Mind, She is Love, and Born on a Different Cloud, which rings a memory of the classic Beatles album "Abbey Road." Its slide guitar is total George Harrison – probably a final tribute to the departed artist. It is perhaps one of the best songs on a wonderful effort from the bad boys of rock. And while A Better Man (again written by Liam) ends the album on a slightly lower note, many critics admitted that they feel like "an ass" for writing Oasis out of the music scene.
Undeniably, "Heathen Chemistry" sees Oasis searching for greater songs but at the same time retaining its influences that made the group famous in the first place. The album is assured without being arrogant, heartfelt without being insincere, and it will surely delight and repel in equal measures.
Cynics have always said that Oasis members are villains and desperados of music. And while most people will agree on that take, this latest effort is truly a heroic return to form for the band tunefully – hard as nails on the outside, yet soft and romantic on the inside – just like every hero should be.
Rating: 9/10
(Author’s note: I’ve taken some info off the Internet for this review, which I’m sure has surprised a lot of you dear readers. I used to talk about music all the time when I began writing for YS, and I’ll make sure that I’ll go back to my roots every chance I get.)
Joke of the month: After a long night of lovemaking, a young guy rolled over the girl and was looking around when he noticed a framed picture of another man. The guy began to worry. "Is this your husband?" he asked. "No, not at all," she said, nibbling away at his ear. "Well, who is he then?" asked the bewildered guy. The girl replied, "That’s me before surgery."
That was two years ago. And now that the band has regrouped and took its sweet time producing another record, it is safe to say that "Heathen Chemistry" will certainly make some noise in the market. I mean it is the band’s best album since "(What’s the Story?) Morning Glory," and that was way back in 1995! Who knows? They might even once again glide onto the top of the charts the way they did during their heyday. It’s that good, believe me.
For the first time, an Oasis album sounds clean and crisp – not musically, mind you, but in its sonic presentation – a technical achievement that elevates the sound extensively. Liam Gallagher also wrote four of the CD’s 11 tracks – quite an achievement for someone who was regarded by many as "just a throaty singer." And the only downside to this record is that his equally egotistical brother Noel sings three of the songs. I’m not saying he has a bad voice, but it would be even better if he had just left the vocals to his sibling.
The package opens up with the recently released single Hindu Times, a momentous rocker that keeps getting catchier every time you listen to it. It may not be a classic, with its rhythm (inadvertently?) being ripped off from the Rolling Stones’ Street Fighting Man I think. Force of Nature then comes in, with its decent piano playing and a jab at his ex-wife Meg Matthews with the lines "You’re smoking all my stash/burning all my cash…"
If there’s another interesting point here, it’s that the third track, Hung in a Bad Place, is a return to the old Oasis sound of "Definitely Maybe" – their first lucrative studio album. Ironically, it was written by guitarist Gem Archer, with Liam adding growling vocals to it. After a tune called Little by Little (which, I think, will be released as the next single), Songbird slides in – a simple jingle with no percussions penned by the younger Gallagher where he shows a softer side of his singing, reminiscent of the Married with Children track recorded eight years ago.
Stop Crying Your Heart Out then shuffles to the beat, which sounds a little like Be Here Now’s Don’t Go Away. A barrage of Beatle tributes and influences cover much the second half of the album with All in the Mind, She is Love, and Born on a Different Cloud, which rings a memory of the classic Beatles album "Abbey Road." Its slide guitar is total George Harrison – probably a final tribute to the departed artist. It is perhaps one of the best songs on a wonderful effort from the bad boys of rock. And while A Better Man (again written by Liam) ends the album on a slightly lower note, many critics admitted that they feel like "an ass" for writing Oasis out of the music scene.
Undeniably, "Heathen Chemistry" sees Oasis searching for greater songs but at the same time retaining its influences that made the group famous in the first place. The album is assured without being arrogant, heartfelt without being insincere, and it will surely delight and repel in equal measures.
Cynics have always said that Oasis members are villains and desperados of music. And while most people will agree on that take, this latest effort is truly a heroic return to form for the band tunefully – hard as nails on the outside, yet soft and romantic on the inside – just like every hero should be.
Rating: 9/10
(Author’s note: I’ve taken some info off the Internet for this review, which I’m sure has surprised a lot of you dear readers. I used to talk about music all the time when I began writing for YS, and I’ll make sure that I’ll go back to my roots every chance I get.)
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