Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants＜限定盤＞

アルバム単位での聴きごたえはOASIS史上でも最上級!幕開けをを告げる(1)のインスト曲の高揚感から(2)の心地よく響くリアムの声が聴こえたその時、このアルバムが名盤であることが確定します。さらにサイケロック、ダーク&スローな新機軸、(5)リアムの初作曲、秀逸な小品、など彼らが影響を受けたロックの巨人達への愛に溢れた楽曲が詰まってます。「アルバムを聴く」喜びを感じる作品です。

『Be Here Now』に次ぐオアシス4枚目のオリジナル・アルバム。イギリスの2ポンド硬貨のエッジに刻まれたアイザック・ニュートンの言葉をヒントに冠された本作は、過去を否定することによって未来を語るのではなく、コンテンポラリーなサウンドでありながらも英国ロックの30年間を代表するビートルズ、セックス・ピストルズ、ストーン・ローゼスらに対して堂々と敬意を表する、彼らのアティテュードを窺わせるもの。オアシスは常に巨人たちの肩の上に立っている。だからこそ同世代のバンドたちのはるか上にそびえ立っているのである。

Since Noel Gallagher plays most of the parts on the album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants isn't really the debut of the new, post-Guigsy/Bonehead lineup, but it is clearly the beginning of Oasis, Mark II. Such a grandiose statement may imply that it's a clear break from Oasis' past, yet that's hardly the case, since many signatures are still in place -- strummed acoustic guitars, big hooks, undeveloped lyrics, familiar rhymes, and a gigantic wall of sound. The arrangements are every bit as detailed as Be Here Now, but they're clearer and better focused, since Oasis' brains weren't clouded with excess and hubris. Ironically, this is also their most overtly druggy, psychedelic release to date -- Gallagher and Mark "Spike" Stent spent endless hours adding Mellotrons, swirling guitars, and vague dancefloor ideas borrowed from the Chemical Brothers and the Charlatans, while Noel's melodies invariably follow the minor-key patterns typical of '60s psychedelic pop. Yet for all of its heavy psychedelic influence, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants is really a self-consciously mature departure from the group's usual ebullience, a deliberately mellow, midtempo album spiked with hints of big beat and electronica to prove that they're with it. This may result in the most cohesive Oasis record since Definitely Maybe, but that cohesion has come at a price. Few songs are as bracing as Noel's best work from the first three albums; not even the rockers have the giddy rush or alluring sparkle of classic Oasis. Yes, this flows well, but it's the work of a self-consciously older band and it's hard not to miss the hard rock, pure attitude, and gigantic hooks that made the group's reputation in the first place. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine