Oasis

Oasis like the Beatles! Okay, major understatement, but with the "Dear Prudence" picks closing "The Turning," the "I am the Walrus" utters in "I'm Outta Time," the "magical mystery" references and the sitar-rich "To Be Where There's Life," it's clear the Brits still heart the Fab Four. But, the Gallagher bros can't pull off being as pompous as they are by simply aping one of the best bands ever. Their haughty energy transfers into some pretty great grooves here as they shake up stadium-ready choruses with layers of dreamy drones, clap-happy rhythms, staccato bass and hip-shakin' beats.

From the beginning, Oasis' greatest strength and most glaring weakness has been
shamelessness — the belief that no classic-rock riff is too timeworn, no Beatles allusion too
banal to merit blasting out at top volume. At its best, this brutish approach has produced
some transcendent music ("Live Forever," "Wonderwall"), but as years have passed and
gray hair has sprouted in the Gallagher brothers' moptops, the self-parody has of... More >