Three Monkeys Online

A Curious, Alternative Magazine

Alan McGhee can’t see Biffy Clyro

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How many albums have Oasis released since What’s the Story Morning Glory? The correct answer here is ‘ who cares? they’ve all been shit’. Alan McGee, founder of creation records and the man who pushed Oasis into the spotlight in the first place is convinced that their latest album is (finally) worth listening to – and more

Musically, it’s a return to the grander ambitions and excess of before, with Noel stating: “But I kind of like fancy! I’d like to make an absolutely fucking colossal album. You know? Like literally two orchestras, stuff like that.” Dig Out Your Soul is Oasis at their most baroque and Noel’s pure pop ambition sits easily with his experimental side. The album oozes with confidence, and great songs.

Maybe it is their the lucky seventh album? The Beatles and the Stones released Revolver and Beggar’s Banquet respectively, both were album number seven, and Dig Out Your Soul is on a par of with both in terms of classic songwriting. Or maybe it was his musical peer Paul Weller who inspired Noel to turn his back on Britpop and take a more eclectic direction after Weller’s own opus of 22 Dreams? Noel Gallagher has said that Shock of the Lightning was the only song that had “Oasis single status” as the rest is far removed from the sound of Oasis.

Utter shite, or simply pr-self-promoting bullshit (depending upon how charitable you feel) from a man who has long since lost what little ability he had to spot talent.  Stretching your artistic horizons to putting two orchestras on an album hardly constitutes ‘baroque’ (try listening to Elbow‘s sumptuous new album if that’s what you’re after). If Gallagher is one of the masters of ‘classic songwriting’, Spinal Tap’s Nigel is presumably up there with Bob Dylan.

Elsewhere McGee handily tells the casual reader what music is o.k to like at the moment

 I understand that openly admitting to liking Oasis is inviting confrontation, but you know what? Being an Oasis fan is never having to say I’m sorry. And I’m not. Leave saying sorry to the Coldplay imitators as their era of bedwetter music is over. It’s only Glasvegas and Oasis for competition in this country. If you are in a band and are not artistically competing with the creative rock’n’roll genius of Oasis or Glasvegas, it’s time to just stop and get off the treadmill. This is how rock’n’roll should be done in the United Kingdom today.

He could have extended that end line to include ‘ , the same way it’s always been done’.

What’s peculiar about all of this is that McGee manages to mention, in passing, probably the most inventive, and exciting rock band that the UK has produced in years,  Biffy Clyro. Blinded by the quiffs of Glasgow’s latest trendsetters Glasvegas, he relegates the best Scottish band of the moment to mere drinking partners with Oasis.

I’ll be penning more about Biffy Clyro in the near future, but in the meantime enjoy the brilliance that is ‘Folding Stars’ from their latest album ‘Puzzle’ – it’ll help take your mind of McGee’s wickedness.

httpv://it.youtube.com/watch?v=LoM3SEEwYyY

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