Noel Gallagher leaves Oasis

So much for expecting to hear even better material from Oasis, especially after their stellar album, Dig Out Your Soul, which released last October. Why? Because as of last night, Noel Gallagher, the principal songwriter and only consistent member (along with his brother Liam) of Oasis, quit the band. And because he's the principal songwriter it pretty much leaves the band's entire future in jeopardy. Noel left this statement on Oasisinet.com:

"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer."

A full statement from Noel regarding his resignation from the band can be found here, but it will require you to register on their website. For your sake though, I've already done that and clipped what you need to read:

"As of last Friday the 28th August, I have been forced to leave the Manchester rock'n'roll pop group Oasis.

The details are not important and of too great a number to list. But I feel you have the right to know that the level of verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades has become intolerable. And the lack of support and understanding from my management and band mates has left me with no other option than to get me cape and seek pastures new....

...In closing I would like to thank all the Oasis fans, all over the world. The last 18 years have been truly, truly amazing (and I hate that word, but today is the one time I'll deem it appropriate). A dream come true. I take with me glorious memories."

Now, everyone probably knows that turmoil between the Gallagher brothers is nothing new, but this is the first time that either of them have ever said, "I quit." So I'm going to assume that this really is it for the band, sadly. I mean, it's possible that Liam can take the band on his own, but I just don't think he could do it and the band wouldn't feel the same. Maybe now Noel can get on to doing that long rumored solo album...

Dig Out Your Soul In the Streets

Back in September, Oasis was getting ready to promote their latest album Dig Out Your Soul. However while on tour in Toronto, guitarist Noel Gallagher was attacked on stage, thus halting the next show in New York City. To make up for it, Oasis set up a program for NYC street musicians to leak tracks live in the city. These tracks included: "Bag It Up", "The Turning", "The Shock of the Lightning", and "(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady".

Now, in January, it turns out an The Malloys filmed an eighteen minute, black and white, documentary of the event and its setup stages. And, it is now being released on MySpace as the first HD documentary released on MySpace Music; if that does anything for you. Full announcement here



This was another one of those things here in New York City I missed out on, but thankfully I now have this great documentary to see what I missed. Can't say I enjoyed all the performances here though, but quite a few of the street musicians' takes definitely rivaled Dig Out Your Soul's final versions. And if you're wondering why Noel Gallagher is absent in the video, then you should have read above; he was still recovering from his injuries after the attack.

Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

As if I haven't covered it enough, I finally have Oasis' latest album, Dig Out Your Soul, in my hands, and I love it! But don't let me get into my love craze just yet, I still need to talk about this record.

Dig Out Your Soul is Oasis' first new album since 2005's Don't Believe The Truth, which, after three years away, was Oasis' real return back in the spotlight. It's now three years since that album, and in the mean time Oasis has released a greatest hits album, Stop The Clocks, a documentary of their 2005 tour and single titled, "Lord Don't Slow Me Down". While those 3 years only left us with one new track, the new album more than makes up for it.

And while I am a big fan of all of Oasis' album, I being completely honest when I say this feel's like their most whole album since 1995's (What's The Story) Morning Glory?. It may sound a little fanboy-ish, I know, but I've never been so engaged in an Oasis album as much as I am now, and the closest experience is 1995's album. What really make's it great is that Oasis has reinvented themselves, and it's for the better. Don't get me wrong, it still sounds like Oasis' but now there's just more expression, and it works wonders.

Another part of the album I like is Noel Gallagher's presence. While I enjoy Liam's vocal styles, even while it slowly deteriorates, I definitely enjoy hearing Noel's voice every so often. Dig Out Your Soul delivers 5 songs with Noel on vocals, a few paired with Liam at one point or another. As with Don't Believe The Truth, songs are written amongst all members of the band, not just the Gallagher brothers. However, Noel has the bulk of the tracks this time around.

While I think the album as a whole is great, I'm sure a few of you out there want to know the best songs. Personally, I don't think I'll ever get "Bag It Up" "The Turning" and/or "The Shock Of The Lightning" out of my head, I've just never heard Oasis songs that are so up-beat, catchy, and just sheer, in your face, rock. But there's a balance, with beautiful tracks like "I'm Outta Time" and "Falling Down", the former of which contains an excerpt from a BBC interview with John Lennon, taken just days before his assassination. As stated though, while I feel these stand out the most, you'd be doing yourself a huge favor by listening to Dig Out Your Soul as a whole.

However with all of this good there has to be a bad, somewhere, right? Well there is, its length, despite each track being great, the album runs at a total of about 45 minutes. It's not a terrible length, as Don't Believe The Truth ran only 42 minutes, and the band's longest album is just over an hour. I just feel that with such good material, it seems to go by way too fast. Other than that, there's no reason for you not to check out this album, fan of the band or not. You have to hear this!

Overall Score - 9.7/10

I personally went for the single disc version of the album, however there is also a bound, CD/DVD combo that contains a booklet, the album, and a 40 minute DVD of the band's tour and recording sessions. The real reason I didn't go for the CD/DVD? I have collector's OCD, and not only does the binding not match my other, jewel cased Oasis albums, it also had a Parental Advisory logo printed right into the artwork, which just ruins album art for me. Ridiculous, I know.

For more on Oasis visit oasisinet.com

Hear 'Dig Out Your Soul' now!

Oasis' latest album Dig Out Your Soul, releasing in North America next week (yes, that soon!), can now be streamed on the band's MySpace page. From what I've heard so far, it's pretty good, and I especially love the first single, "The Shock of the Lightning".

MySpace - Oasis

Hearing this get's me so pumped for the inevitable infinite playback I'm bound to have of it on iTunes. Hopefully I'm able to get to Best Buy Monday or Tuesday next week, cause I really want this. Be sure to look out for a review of the album sometime next week!

The Shock of the Lightning

Here it is, the official video for the first single of Oasis' latest album Dig Out Your Soul. While the video itself for Shock of the Lightning was released on the band's website the other day, it was not on YouTube till yesterday. So now that it's embeddable, here you go:

I really am in love with this track, I think it's the best, most catchy material Oasis has put out in years, and the last few albums weren't even that bad! Dig Out Your Soul doesn't release till October, so hopefully this can hold you off.

Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

Oasis has gone and released the first single, "The Shock of the Lightning" of their upcoming album, Dig Out Your Soul. I knew about the track early, as just the name had been announced, but lucky me, I heard the track on the radio as I drove home from work. And yes, it was great!

To accompany the release of the single, Oasis has gone and redesigned their website for the new album, Oasisinet.com. Also, you can now pre-order a big vinyl/CD/book set for about $100, here.

If you want to check out the first track, it's up on YouTube: