OASIS
Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants (Epic)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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How do you follow an album that was #1 in six countries and quad-platinum in the US? Well, you take a few years, learn a few lessons, recruit some new members, drop some bad habits and try out some new sounds. At least, that's what you do if you're Oasis. And if you do it all right, it works. Looks like those Gallagher boys did it all right.

Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants finds the band, with new members Andy Bell (Ride, Hurricane #1) and Gem (Heavy Stereo), in transition, and it's a much more studio-dependent effort than (What's The Story) Morning Glory was. That doesn't mean that they've lost any of the rock edge that's separated them from the Brit-pop pack--if anything, their propensity for rock has moved from the edge to a much more central place in their sound. What it does mean is that there's more texture, a greater diversity of approaches and a higher level of audio sophistication. They're moving forward, and whether they can bring their old audience along for the ride is yet to be proven, but highly likely. If they can transcend the hype that accompanied the phenomenal success of their last outing, they should also be able to find a new audience.

Count me among that number. Like too many writers, I can be lured into the "too popular to be that good" trap; but after listening to this one, I'm beginning to believe that Oasis is indeed that good. Now the only question is if they're still that popular, and this one is good enough to make me hope so.

Track List:

Fuckin' In The Bushes * Go Let It Out * Who Feels Love? * Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is * Little James * Gas Panic! * Where Did It All Go Wrong? * Sunday Morning Call * I Can See A Liar * Roll It Over

© 2000 - Shaun Dale