TMS No Longer Supports Oasis

If you followed Britpop in the 1990's, you probably fell into one of two camps: those who preferred Oasis, and those who preferred Blur. I grew up in the United States, but even I knew in those tender teenage years that I must pledge my allegiance to one or the other. I have been a Blur man since that time, tried and true. In those days, I would discount and discredit Oasis in social circles at any given opportunity. Fortunately I matured over the last decade, and in recent years, had come to appreciate Oasis's back catalog.

When Don't Believe the Truth was released in 2005, I was still fairly ambivalent to Oasis. At the prodding of former TMS scribe Governor X, I decided to sit down and give it a spin. I was immediately taken aback by the tight melodies and concise songwriting. It seemed as if Oasis were taking a turn away from the meandering anthemic rock which had served them so well in the past. This album was quite representative of the band's best qualities; Liam's vocals, infectious rhythmic guitar, and a melodic punch to the mouth. The effort actually caused me to anxiously await the release of their last effort, Dig Out Your Soul.

Oh, how naive I was. These were the Gallagher brothers for the love of Christ. How could I not only set aside years of indifference and quasi-hatred, but also be sucked into believing that I could follow this band? Dig Out Your Soul, released in autumn 2008, was the equivalent of a 20-minute fling in a restaurant with Rick Pitino: excitement and expectation culminating in a relative musical abortion. What a horrible, indefensible album. It was a return to the rambling, plodding, tonal nonsense of earlier efforts, in which each song would have benefit by having at least a minute chopped off.

Then came this weekend. Conservative estimates would count last Friday as the third time that Noel Gallagher has quit Oasis. I haven't even quit TMS that many times. Noel, arguably the glue of the band, claims that he was forced out of the group. While it's no secret that the brothers Gallagher have maintained a rocky working and familial relationship, I find it hard to believe that Oasis will become kaput in light of this event. But honestly, who gives a shit now? Time and time again, Noel and Liam have proven themselves to be petulant little children playing a man's game. Will Noel move on to a prosperous solo career? It doesn't matter, and who could really give a shit at this point? I am fairly embarrassed that these jackasses were able to suck me in, and I firmly insist that they will have no such sway over my musical sensibilities ever again.

TMS no longer supports Oasis.