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Oasis: Dig Out Your Soul Review (2008)

Oasis' 7th studio album and their first since 2005's Don't Believe The Truth is titled "Dig Out Your Soul", is due out worldwide on October 6th and in the United States on October 7th. While most Oasis fans were (and are) very satisfied with "Don't Believe The Truth", it certainly wasn't as big a step forward as much as it was a return to form. Dig Out Your Soul is a big step forward.

It's Oasis confidently moving out of their comfort zone into more experimental songwriting, arrangements, and production. And it's because of that new direction that Dig Out Your Soul is a very exciting album and a very good album. It is certainly one of the best of the year and is arguably Oasis' best album to date, if not, it's definitely their most psychedelic.

The album starts off strong with "Bag It Up" & "The Turning" and only gets better from there.

All three of the Noel Gallagher sung tracks are truly excellent and among the best (and most inventive songs) he's written (and sung) yet. "Waiting for the Rapture" is both spacey and dirty at the same time. It's a great mix and the vocals are truly mesmerizing.

"(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady" is another album highlight (one of many.) Noel Gallagher's voice & the rhythm guitar sounds like they were recorded through an old radio or a phone which gives the song a very spooky sound when combined with the the big drums, hand claps, and guitar riffs. It's a really surreal mix of big drums & a sort of country sound that's hard to explain. One thing is for sure, Oasis has never done a song like this before. For those who don't think Oasis is a creative band, listen to this track to be proven wrong.

"Falling Down" is the 3rd Noel sung track and it also sounds unlike anything Oasis has recorded before. It's a drum & bass based track (like so many songs on this album that showcase Oasis "getting into the groove" like never before) but it also features a great catchy vocal line.

Liam Gallagher wrote three songs for the album with "I'm Outta Time" being a true standout track. It's likely to be the favorite track of many who hear this album because it features one of Oasis' best melodies ever and Liam sings it beautifully. The production & arrangement is also perfect as it has an experimental/psychedelic edge but at the same time it sounds entirely "classic." Certainly some will say that it sounds too much like a Lennon tune and definitely Liam wears his influences on his sleeve but regardless of that this is still a great song and I don't hear it "ripping off" any song in particular so I don't think that complaint has any merit.

Bassist Andy Bell & guitarist Gem Archer both contribute one song each as songwriters with excellent results.

Archer's trippy "To Be Where There's Life" is another highlight. Sitar + great groove + stunning bass line = awesome. And once again it doesn't sound quite like anything Oasis has recorded before.

Bell's "The Nature of Reality" has an incredible Led Zeppelin-esque stomp which mixes in perfectly with one of the best guitar riffs I've heard in a long while. When those drums drop, I get chills. A great musical moment.

The album ends in a trance like fashion with Liam Gallagher's "Soldier On."

Regardless of whether you like Oasis already or not, I must highly recommend you give this album a chance. Oasis have long been remarkable for the catchy tunes & riffs they write and now they are just as remarkable for the creative arrangements, songwriting, & production they bring to the table. Dig Out Your Soul, is a modern psychedelic masterpiece.