Oasis
Don't Believe The Truth

THE REVIEW

Publishing this review will cost me a lot... let's say about twenty negative comments; but this time Oasis hit the mark by producing an album that contains just one thing: ROCK! After firing the calm Alan White, they called Zak Starkey (much better than the always legendary Ringo) to bring to life their best album.

It kicks off with "Turn Up The Sun," a rock song written by bassist Andy Bell and performed by a rather dark Liam; after the final arpeggios, it continues without pause with the fast and fun "Mucky Fingers" by Noel Gallagher, which is the closest thing to the 70s ever written by the Mancunians; the inclusion of the harmonica is perfect.
The first thing noticeable about "Lyla" (apart from the resemblance to "Street Fighting Man") is the power of the acoustic guitar, which practically overshadows the electric one; but this is a feature of almost all the tracks. "Lyla" is an excellent rock song where the good Zak delights us with his drumming skills, especially in the final part, and doesn’t make us miss the old Alan.
We get to the first song by Liam Gallagher-Gem: "Love Like A Bomb" is a pleasant pop-rock of three chords as "Songbird" was three years ago; the voice attempts a sweet approach hiding behind the acoustic guitars and behind the drums, and it succeeds. "The Importance Of Being Idle" is a Wild West rock absolutely unusual for the band, but the result is exceptional; it's not hard to notice how simple the solo is, nor is it hard to notice the almost total lack of them on this CD; Noel's vocal performances are impeccable.
Moving on to tracks 6 and 7, the only two composed by the cheeky Liam; the first "The Meaning Of Soul" is a fast and rough rock lasting a minute and a half. On the contrary, "Guess God Thinks I’m Abel" is covered with acoustic guitars and garnished with light percussion and delightful falsetto backing vocals at the end; there’s an explosion of sounds only in the last ten seconds. "Part Of The Queue" is another track sung by Noel in the 70s sound vein where the acoustic guitar leads the other instruments.
Then we get to one of the most beautiful songs of the Mancunians: "Keep The Dream Alive"; fantastic from the intro with the acoustic guitar that seems to challenge the electric one and the drums syncing with the bass after the first verse; the chorus is memorable: Liam's voice is sweet and high-pitched (...strange). "A Bell In The Ring" is pure rock! The initial riff brings back to the early Oasis, and Liam's arrogant voice is perfect for the song's harmony. We arrive at the pearl of the album: "Let There Be Love," which won’t sound new to die-hard fans: in fact (apart from the resemblance to "Let It Be"), it’s a rereading of a demo from a few years ago, which was then titled "It’s A Crime." After rewriting the lyrics, Noel has Liam sing it, and the result is absolutely fantastic! The alternating voices of the brothers make it all more magical...

"Don’t Believe The Truth" is an album that takes us back in time, reminiscent of the sound of The Who, The Beatles and will silence all those bands trying to resurrect the 70s (read Jet & Co.)