Don't Believe The Truth - Oasis

By virtue of a series of quite poor releases since their glory days in the mid 90's, this has inadvertantly become the kind of album that many people would give a wide berth to. As a result, its likely to remain a bit undiscovered and neglected - which would be a pity, as its got the unmistakeable sound of a band getting their mojo back.

Gone is the noisy swagger of their previous work. Gone is the achingly heavy guitar work that suffocated any traces of melody and harmony from their songs. And gone is the soaring ambition for ambition's sake to be the 'biggest band in the world'. Instead, the album is laced with an effortlessly relaxed air of Oasis having at last come to terms with their own limitations. You sense that they've realised that this isn't likely to be 'best fookin' album of all time, man', and as a result have been laid back and confident enough to instead make an album that reaches only to the extent of their ability, rather than over-reaching and achieving the sound of a band trying way too hard, only to fall disappointingly short.

What makes this work distinct from all previous Oasis albums is its domesticity. In 1995 they were roaring about dreams being made when 'you're chained to a mirror and a razor blade' - Oasis 2005 are talking instead about sitting around not doing very much, or finding that everywhere you go in London you have to queue.

It shouldn't work - this isn't natural Oasis territory. But somehow, it just does. Many of the songs have a clipped urgency about them - Liam's 'The Meaning of Soul' is a punchy, violent 90 second blast that jolts the senses after Noel's immaculately melodic 'The Importance of Being Idle'. Liam's other contributions are equally impressive: 'Love Like A Bomb' twists around a delicate piano break. Noel's 'Mucky Fingers' is a scorching harmonica-drenched tune that is equal to anything on the band's last few albums. 'Lyla' is probably the most old-school example of Oasis on the album, but is economical and immediate and doesn't suffer for the comparison.

So relaxed and focused is this album that its easy to acclaim it as their most satisfying work since 'Morning Glory'. Oasis have come to terms with their limitations, and they sound all the better for it. This is a band that no longer have anything to prove, and for once, they have a new album that they don't need to apologise for either. A surprisingly impressive album. It's good to be back...