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Pretty much the same Beatles-esque pub-rock with Middle Eastern punches you'd expect--though with more shared singing and songwriting duties than past outings have had.
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Heathen Chemistry gets back to what Oasis do well.
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While the electronic flourishes and arrogant bombast that respectively marred the band's last two efforts are thankfully gone, there's nothing on Heathen Chemistry to suggest that the "Wonderwall" commercial glory days of the mid-'90s are coming back.
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Those who are already fond of the band, and who go into Chemistry with a proper sense of lowered expectations, should leave entertained.
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BlenderSounds like a band back on track. [#8, p.120]
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Oasis can't help but sound like a group battling to free themselves from being last century's thing.
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Alternative PressNoel Gallagher's songwriting is more derivative than ever. [Aug 2002, p.78]
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Psychedelia is really only compelling when ego takes a backseat to kaleidoscopic music, and the Gallaghers are, of course, incapable of such a gesture.
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Nowadays, the Gallaghers can only offer stylized guitar murk and hookless acoustic ditties; even scarier, you can understand their lyrics, which are more mush-headed and lovey-dovey than you'd expect from a band this self-satisfied.
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Oasis is back, and in top form.
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Heathen Chemistry also takes the time to cop riffs and progressions from previous Oasis hits.
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Entertainment WeeklyA step up from the previous two tossers. [12 July 2002, p.84]
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SpinThe good news is that they haven't completely lost their nerve; they still play their bombastic brat-rock like it's the apotheosis of Western pop culture. Sadly, this is also the bad news. [Aug 2002, p.113]
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Any good news – Liam’s decent fist of songwriting, the less oppressive sound, the professional playing – is rendered largely irrelevant by the gaping chasm where more decent songs should be.
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Heathen Chemistry finds the quintet back in cracking mid-'90s form.
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Essentially, Oasis have tentatively begun to master the art of becoming veterans: writing songs that reflect their circumstances and not a mythical image of what they once were; songs that suggest there's life in the old beast yet.
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It's hard not to find this album kind of disappointing, a confirmation that no matter what they do, Oasis Mach II will never have the sheer abandon or thrill as Definitely Maybe through Morning Glory.
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As on the last few Oasis outings, particularly the arrogant Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, from 2000, Noel's nerdy-architect tendencies are counterbalanced by the bratty and hedonistic snarl of his brother Liam.
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That the band that churned out some of the best records ever made in a phenomenal two-year creative splurge should be reduced to anything as pubby as this is nothing short of tragic.
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VibeCrackles with anger, energy, and defiance. [Aug 2002, p.156]
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MojoThere's got to be something better, man. [July 2002, p.94]
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UncutThe new material, with some exceptions, lacks spark and flair, having a sense of anti-climax about it. [Aug 2002, p.106]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 82 out of 115
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Mixed: 16 out of 115
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Negative: 17 out of 115
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TonySSep 18, 2005
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Jul 15, 2022
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Jul 11, 2020Boring glory. Wait, no glory at all. The songs in this album are boring and slow. And the music is practically nonexistent.