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Oasis - Heathen Chemistry Album Review


Oasis aren't cool anymore. They sound too much like themselves. The lead singer is a dickhead. They are too backward-looking in their influences. But listening to mainstream public opinion on any topic is, as we all know, not much fun. So I sit down, relax, stick on my headphones and let the new Oasis album play, and slowly, my mood gets brighter. Opening up with the familiar and life affirming 'The Hindu Times' gives the song itself more credit. The lyrics aren't too intelligent but they provoke all the right reactions that you want an album opener to evoke. The production on 'The Hindu Times' also sets the mood for the rest of the album. The first album to be produced by Noel, Liam, Alan, Gem and that bloke out of Ride ;-) marks a distinct move away from the overproduction that swamped a lot of the great tunes on 'Be Here Now' and to a lesser extent, 'Standing on The Shoulder Of Giants'. 'Force of Nature' follows with a brilliant Noel vocal, a drum loop that recalls Iggy Pop's 'Nightclubbing' and some great instrumentation from the new line up.

Next up is 'Hung In A Bad Place' the first Oasis song to be written by Gem Archer. Live reviews compared the song to 'No Fun' by The Stooges, but this recorded version has no resemblance to that classic. It's a great tune in its own right: funky rhythm section, amazing instrumental section and with that title you cant help but love it! Taking the tempo down a bit, 'Little By Little' is a Noel ballad that has the same reluctant cynicism that, lyrically, gave 'Standing on The.' an edge on the first 3 Oasis studio albums. Next is the album's first Liam tune!! 'Songbird' is simple, lovely and clocks in at 2.06secs. 'Songbird' actually displays a maturing in Liam's vocal style as he croons 'I've never felt this love from anyone/she's not anyone.' awwww!

Oasis save the best till sixth with probable second single 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out'. The song itself is clearly great and the strings enhance the song without making it sound cheesy - a trick The Verve learnt early on. The musical expertise of Gem Archer and Andy Bell take what could have been a great song with average delivery and turn it into one of the greatest things that Oasis have ever done. Just as you get too sentimental, a song that is known as 'Instrumental' kicks in for around a minute, it's basically a jam around a great acoustic guitar riff. 'All in The Mind' is the weakest song on the album, and though quite pleasing and funky, it fades into the back of your head much like 'Hey Now' did on 'Morning Glory'. 'She Is Love' is a nice number with an acoustic feel and a Noel vocal that catches him in a 'loved-up' mood. The song is a grower and how much you like it depends on how much you like catchy-happy-love-songs! So on a sunny day, its one of my favourites!

'Born On A Different Cloud' is by far the best song that Liam has written, described by the man himself as 'a manc odyssey in 3 parts' (!). Lyrically, focusing on his son's birth, although the haunting production makes the uplifting message more elusive then the straightforward happy feeling that oozes from 'Songbird'. 'Born On A Different Cloud' builds up into an epic 'la la la' ending. The album then closes on the brilliant 'Betterman' which sounds like late-period Ride with more powerful vocals, which is quite frankly, a fantastic thing to hear. The stones-esque wah guitar on the album closer is unmistakably Andy Bell.

Much like the way that the 'la la las' at the end of 'Born On A Different Cloud' still sound like Oasis but somehow manage to sound refreshing and more forward looking, the album as a whole is still typical of the band's style, yet modern and unlike their previous albums. Maybe it's because of the neat production? Maybe it's because of the new line up? Maybe it's because Liam has had a personality transplant? Who cares? Oasis have made a brilliant album, it's gonna be a great summer..