Depending on who you ask, Mancunian rockers Oasis are either narcissistic Beatles plagiarists with about as much musical talent as Status Quo and living on borrowed time, or the best thing to emerge from the whole ‘90s Britpop scene and one of our truly great live acts.
And so the debate is set to continue with the release of their seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul, on 6th October.
For now, though, we’ll have to make do with the album’s first single, ‘The Shock of the Lightning’, which is released digitally on 22nd September and in stores a week later.
Chatting recently to BBC Radio 1 loudmouth Chris Moyles, Noel Gallagher said of the song: “If ‘The Shock of the Lightning’ sounds instant and compelling to you, it’s because it was written dead fast. And recorded dead fast. ‘The Shock of the Lightning’ basically is the demo. And it has retained its energy. And there’s a lot to be said for that, I think. The first time you record something is always the best.”
They say:
Digital Spy: “Packs enough of a punch to get us excited about the new album.”
NME: “The most immediate, intuitive single of the year by anyone.”
We say:
‘The Shock of the Lightning’ is a solid psychedelic rocker which would sit quite comfortably on Be Here Now or Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, but only as an album track and certainly not as a lead single.
It’s got the stomp, the effortless swagger and, of course, the flagrant Beatles references, but for all the blistering build up there is very little payoff due to the verse sections being far stronger than the actual chorus.
Even Noel’s guitar solo, which enters the mix after an impressive ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ style drum workout by Zak Starkey, promises so much but turns out to be one giant tease.
Still, ‘The Shock of the Lightning’ is an improvement over previous first out of the gate ‘Lyla’ and is sure to rock the house when Oasis hit the UK in October (with security no doubt tightened). Furthermore, those who have heard another new track called ‘Falling Down’ will know the best is yet to come.
Like this? Try these:
Oasis – The Hindu Times
Stereophonics – My Friends
RELEASED
22nd Sept ‘08
LABEL
Big Brother
POSTED...
Wed 17 Sep at 1:18pm
