The days when anyone expected anything truly special from a new Oasis album are long since gone. But credit where it's due: Don't Believe The Truth is lively, confident and ultimately a pretty decent rock record. Perhaps it's because Noel Gallagher is no longer required to write all the songs - with Liam, Gem Archer and Andy Bell all chipping in, there's a noticeably broader range of rhythms and moods than before. Meanwhile, the blustery anthems that marred their recent outings have been replaced by bright, breezy tunes that are almost good enough to have fitted on Definitely Maybe. Don't get carried away: there are still too many blatant steals from the 60s and the lyrics still range from the mundane to the embarrassing. But all reservations aside, this is far and away Oasis's best album for almost a decade. Who'd have believed that?
