Additional information
Personnel: Noel Gallagher (vocals, electric guitar, keyboards, drums, electronics); Liam Gallagher (vocals); Andy Bell (electric guitar, tamboura, keyboards); Jay Darlington (Mellotron, electronics); Zak Starkey (drums). Audio Mixer: Dave Sardy. Recording information: EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England (2007). 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.
Reviews
Spin (p.102) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "'Waiting for the Rapture' sports a killer T. Rex trash-glam groove; and 'The Shock of Lightning' rides a hurtling krautrock beat. You won't be able to blast these jams loud enough." Spin (p.46) - Ranked #38 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "DIG injects a darker rhythmic urgency, plus a newfound, psych-swirling reflection." Entertainment Weekly (p.73) - "[T]he heftily rocking first single, 'The Shock of the Lightning,' and the airier, more psychedelic song 'Falling Down' are fab enough to have appeared on one of Oasis' terrific first two albums." Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'Bag It Up' could be a sequel to the Fall's take on 'Mr Pharmacist' -- a ramshackle speedfreak racket..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.105) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'I'm Outta Time' is one of the record's two champagne moments, an exorbitantly arranged weepy in the style of Travis as produced by Jeff Lynne..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.64) - Ranked #50 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "A nasty, brutish rock album that saved Oasis's soul..." Blender (Magazine) (p.76) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he payoffs include the two best songs singer Liam Gallagher has yet written: the strident, balladic 'I'm Outta Time' and the snarling 'Ain't Got Nothin'." Clash (Magazine) (p.120) - "One of the biggest surprises on the album is the development of Liam Gallagher as songwriter....'I'm Outta Time' is PLASTIC ONO BAND era Lennon, with a sweetly sung chorus that displays Liam's vulnerable side." Clash (Magazine) (p.66) - Ranked #18 in Clash's "The 40 Best Albums of 2008" -- "DIG OUT YOUR SOUL is the sound of a band finally cemented in its present state."
