Dig Out Your Soul track-by-track
Bag It Up
A mid-tempo opener, the song builds into a relentless piano groove with Stone Roses-esque guitars at its core.The Turning
And we’re off. After the slightly underwhelming opener, The Turning is classic Oasis, and the first aural evidence of the ‚Abbey Road‘ effect. Immediately recalling My Big Mouth from Be Here Now, but with two important differences: it’s roughly 100 times better, and doesn’t outstay its welcome by five minutes.Waiting For The Rapture
The first genuine stand-out moment of the new album. A Noel-penned tune with almost Stooges-heavy guitars, choral backing and a relentless bassline. Already absolutely colossal live, and set to become a mainstay of the band’s set for years to come.The Shock Of The Lightning
The first single seems to outline the mission statement of the whole album. Faster than expected, with Primal Scream-style production and propulsive, huge-sounding bass and drums, it’s sure to be a hit.I’m Outta Time
Planned as a second single, this ballad was written by Liam Gallagher. On first listen, we weren’t overly impressed with this one, which seemed to go nowhere fast for five minutes and slowed the momentum built up by the preceding tunes.(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady
If ever a song on this album was destined to be labelled an oddity, it’s this one. Similar in tone to The Importance Of Being Idle, this Noel-sung tale is another clear indication of the effort that’s been invested to update Oasis‘ sound. The mix fizzes with inventive Sixties-referencing sound effects, but for all its effort, it still sounds like The Coral in a wind-tunnel.Falling Down
The Chemical Brothers gave this a ridiculously heavy remix for the b-side of The Shock Of The Lightning, but the band’s original version is good enough to be a single in its own right. Sung by Noel, the lyrics see Noel worrying about „living in a dying dream“, and once again, boasts self-confident, late-’60s-referencing production. Better than anything on the last album.To Be Where There’s Life
Ah yes ‚the groove‘. Much was made of the band’s attempt to adopt a looser sound based around loops and gradually evolving bass lines, and Gem’s contribution is a strung-out mantra which ticks all of these boxes. A great, simple guitar solo lifts the song into a coda that’s heavier than The Stooges in work boots.Ain’t Got Nothin‘
This fearsome three-minute stomp was penned by a belligerent Liam (is there any other kind) after an arrest in 2004, following a brawl in a Berlin bar. Imagine The Meaning Of Soul from Don’t Believe The Truth, but with a proper tune and even more in-your-face sneering. Excellent then, really.The Nature Of Reality
An Andy Bell-penned track that immediately recalls A Bell Will Ring from Don’t Believe The Truth on first listen.Soldier On
Another Liam contribution, Soldier On recalls Better Man and the Beatles I Want You (She’s So Heavy) and clearly demonstrates that the button marked ‚mantra‘ took a bit of a pounding during the recording sessions. Aims for epic, swaggering grandeur in the classic Champagne Supernova mould, but misses by some considerable distance.Overall, and on first listen, Oasis have made a sonically diverse, brave album that can only be the work of men confident in what they’re doing. Several tracks here, notably The Turning, Waiting For The Rapture, Falling Down and Ain’t Got Nothin‘ will be part of the live set for years to come, and will sound massive. Noel’s clearly ‚avin that.
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