Well, What Else Is There To Talk About?

It seems to be all anyone is listening to this week - the unit next to the the one I work in has been blasting them out loud every morning, I’ve heard them playing from cars that drive past, stolen glances at fellow commuters iPhone screens showing the familiar artwork… of course I’m talking about Oasis, who in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past week announced their first gigs since 2009.

I went to that last run of gigs at Wembley back in 2009, and they were good, but you could see (like with all bands I guess) the energy levels weren’t quite there. No-one is queuing up to put out live recordings of that tour, especially when the Knebworth set (pretty much them at their absolute peak) came out on LP a few years ago.

I can’t think of any band - anywhere - who’s reunion would have generated the sheer amount of column inches Oasis have. I’ve had 5 Live on in the car every morning this week and it’s all they’ve been talking out - on a serious news station. Newspapers have been full of it, WhatsApp chats have been abuzz with organisation.

Okay maybe the Manics had more intelligent lyrics, and maybe Pulp were wittier, and Suede sexier, but Oasis had the songs and the swagger. Whether you were 11, 21 or 31 in 1994 Oasis appealed in a way that Blur or Kula Shaker didn’t. Lots of us have grown up with Oasis in the background, whether you like them or not, they soundtracked 90’s and early 00’s Britain regardless of if “Cool Britainnia” was an actual thing or not. Their impact on popular culture can’t be understated.

The accepted consensus is that Be Here Now (1997) was their worst album (although all the albums that follow it don’t hold a candle to any of those 90’s releases) but for me it’s their best. Be Here Now, fuelled by cocaine and a massive recording budget is Oasis at their most essential, polished and furious. I Hope, I Think, I Know a kick in the teeth to every critic, Don’t Go Away one of their most emotional tracks, yeah the Beatles references are clear to see, but if you’re gonna crib from anyone it might as well be them? There was a great article on the Quietus a few years ago that fights Be Here Now’s case better than I can. Definitely Maybe and What’s The Story were (and are) both great albums, but for me Be Here Now is peak Oasis. You might disagree.

Will these gigs be any good? Will they stay together and complete them? Who knows? Will I even get a ticket? The odds are probably against me - I didn’t fancy my chances when the rumours were of ten nights at Wembley, and I fancy them even less now it’s only five. Of course Liam has always been a dickhead and Noel has become a bigger dickhead over time, and there’ll always be that element of the fanbase that enjoys doing a tonne of coke and throwing a pint glass full of piss into the audience which is pretty off-putting, but when those first few drum hits of Live Forever belt out at Wembley or Heaton Park everyone in the crowd will feel - at least for a night - like a Rock N Roll Star.

New Music Time

On to this weeks new releases - a few new bits, plus news of a decent Bandcamp sale.

Eros - Cut From The Soul [Downwards]

If you didn’t catch my ode to Downwards a couple of weeks ago then you can check it here. Eros is the industrial post-punk outfit of Regis, Liam Andrews and Boris Wildorf, their album A Southern Code a few years back a favourite of mine. This is no less urgent, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the album.

The The - Some Days I Drink My Coffee By The Grave of William Blake [Cineola]

Some Bizzare affilliate Matt Johnson aka The The returns with a new single from his upcoming album, written during an intense period of illness and loss. Another one I’m looking forward to hearing.

Flying Lotus - Garmonbozia [Warp]

I haven’t kept up with what Flying Lotus has been doing lately, except for his admission that he made a couple of ringtones on the latest iPhone. This sounds pretty nice, much more structured than what you’d expect from FlyLo. Assuming there’s a new album coming soon.

Tarquin Manek - Bat Circles & Dives [Berceuse Heroique]

No digital on this latest installment on Berceuse Heroique’s peerless mixtape series, grab it from Boomkat whilst you still can. I’ve shared a couple of tunes from Tarquin and the Kallista Kult album he was involved with, one of the albums I still go back to fairly regularly.

Aerial M - Peel Sessions [Drag City]

Post-rock Summer is still hanging in there. This reissue of Aerial M’s sessions for Peel back in 98 hits all the right notes if you’re into that kind of thing.

Throbbing Gristle - The Third Mind Movements [Mute]

I’ve never really got into Throbbing Gristle. I used to work with a bloke who loved them, but I thought he was a bit of a twat and for that reason I never gave them the attention I should have. Gonna correct that now, as there’s no reason I shouldn’t like them.

Various - ALTER Bandcamp [ALTER]

There’s about half an hour left on this sale on the ALTER Bandcamp page. Helm’s label has always put out some really interesting stuff on that experimental/punk/post-punk axis. Loads of LP’s reduced to a fiver, some of them really good so fill yer boots. My recommendations? Low Life’s Dogging and the Chain of Flowers LP.