Reviews:

Oasis: Noel Gallagher (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, electronics); Liam Gallagher (vocals); Andy Bell (electric guitar, tamboura, keyboards, bass guitar); Gem Archer (electric guitar, keyboards, bass guitar).
Additional personnel: Jay Darlington (Mellotron, electronics); Zak Starkey (drums); National In Choir (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: D. Sardy.
Continuing a career revitalization that began in earnest on the previous DON'T BELIEVE THE TRUTH, 2008's DIG OUT YOUR SOUL is precision-crafted to approach the heights of prime Oasis, with the Gallagher brothers and company soaring above most of their own turn-of-the-century work. "Bag It Up" announces the SOUL's arrival with a scrappy sense of majesty, while "Waiting for the Rapture" (sung by guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher) stomps like a no-nonsense "I Am the Walrus." Always an ensemble ready to blatantly reference the Beatles, Oasis sticks with Fab Four nods on "The Shock of the Lightning," where frontman Liam Gallagher evokes a "magical mystery" amidst a flurry of driving guitar lines. In fact, down to its neo-psychedelic collage cover, SOUL echoes mid-period Beatles, in intent if not studio experimentation, without sounding overly beholden to the legendary band. Arguably Oasis' heaviest and most immediate record, DIG OUT YOUR SOUL is easily one of the group's strongest albums, and proves that it remains in fighting form.

Looking back at the cultural wasteland of the ’90s, Oasis vs. Blur was one of the few highlights. The showdown was needlessly boiled down to pretense vs. proletariat, not taking into account that plenty of people liked both academic introversion and dumbass rock anthems. Even today, Oasis still inspire class warfare. Despite not actually talking s*it on the Brothers Gallagher, the highbrow likes of Radiohead have taken Blur’s place in the battle—at least in the mind of guitarist Tad Kubler of people’s champion the Hold Steady, who recently groused that the ’Head "lost" him on In Rainbows, while extolling Oasis’ virtues. That the Fab Five are still generating so much chatter after their middling late ’90s/early ’00s output is amazing, but new single "The Shock of the Lightning" is a pounding, buzzing Definitely Maybe throwback. Half the fun of Liam and Noel is when they lose the plot, but it would be nice if "Shock" were the norm rather than the exception this time.