Oasis: Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants

Like the group's heroes in The Stone Roses, Oasis rose to international fame and fortune by creating perfect three-minute pop tracks, then promptly decided that what the public really wanted was endless, self-indulgent songs and albums riddled with dull guitar solos. Apparently interpreting the international yawn that accompanied 1997's Be Here Now as proof that it was on the right track, the band's new Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants picks up where that low point left off. Sure, there's an occasional unnecessary and unsuccessful nod to electronica, but for the most part, Giants is full of the sort of long, windy, forgettable songs that made Be Here Now such a chore. Chief songwriter Noel Gallagher has never been a particularly profound lyricist (to put it mildly), but on his first two albums, the flimsiness of his lyrics was overshadowed by the all-encompassing catchiness of his melodies. On Giants, his melodies are uninspired and arbitrary enough to match his lyrics, and the only song that really stands out, the single "Go Let It Out," does so mainly because it sounds exactly like every other mid-tempo single Oasis has ever released. When Be Here Now came out, many fans hoped the album would be an exception rather than the new rule. But if Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants is any indication, it was a clear signal that the band's best days were already behind it.