The one where Oasis got weird, paranoid, and started using drum loops.
A heavy, drug-paranoia comedown that trades stadium anthems for dark studio experiments.
Released in February 2000, 'Standing on the Shoulder of Giants' marks a pivotal and experimental shift in the Oasis catalog. Following the departure of founding members Bonehead and Guigsy, Noel Gallagher took greater control of the studio process, incorporating Pro Tools, drum loops, and psychedelic instrumentation like the electric sitar. The album serves as a sonic document of the 'post-Britpop comedown,' trading the band's signature optimism for themes of paranoia, drug-induced anxiety (notably on 'Gas Panic!'), and the fracturing of relationships ('Let's All Make Believe'). While 'Go Let It Out' provided a bridge to their classic sound, much of the record explores darker, mid-tempo territories influenced by late-era Beatles and hard rock. It remains their most sonically diverse and moody effort, polarizing critics at the time but later gaining a cult following for its brave, if flawed, departure from their established formula.
Put this on for
Rain-slicked city streets at 2am with headphones onThat heavy-eyed realization that the party is finally overStaring at a distorted skyline through a hotel windowCold morning coffee while the house is still silentDimly lit basement where the smoke hangs perfectly stillLong train ride through industrial outskirts at twilightSolitary walk when you're feeling more cynical than usual
Moments worth waiting for
The explosive Led Zeppelin-style drum break that opens the album on Fuckin' in the Bushes.
The swirling, hallucinogenic sitar and backwards guitar loops that anchor Who Feels Love?
The claustrophobic buildup of Gas Panic! as the flute and heavy bass mimic a rising panic attack.
Sounds like
2000s production with a 2000s soul
Sits beside
Be Here Now - Oasis, XTRMNTR - Primal Scream, The Man Who - Travis, Revolver - The Beatles
Lyrical territory
mental_health, existential, self_examination
03Deviation
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants · vs · Oasis
Artist
This Album
Medium Energy
Energy · ↓ −34% less than usual
On this album, medium energy sits about 34% less prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.
