When Bloc Party makes a record as good and enduring as What's the Story, Morning Glory?, then I might give him props for what he's saying. As far as I can tell, Bloc Party hasn't particularly mastered the art of constant change and evolution either. Since they don't claim to be influenced by the Beatles, i guess it's fine, but the criticism seems a bit harsh. Too harsh to be give more weight to it then as just opinion.

I think Travis did the same thing KO just attempted to do (rip Oasis) but they did it in a much more elegant way: Simply inserting the line, "What's a wonderall, anyway?" into a beautiful song.

And in case you wonder why I'm "JosPEh" Riippi, it's because I haven't figured out how to access my actual name yet.

Funny you should mention Travis; according to the article, Okereke lashed out at Oasis when Liam Gallager called Bloc Party, "a band off University Challenge."

Okereke retorted with:
"Well, it's quite funny. It probably would have been a lot more funny had he not used exactly the same words to describe Travis a couple of years ago."

Bwah ha haha hah HAH!

And as for your login, I'll email you about that... :)

Hear hear Bloc Party! There are many reasons to hate Oasis, including but not limited to the band's:

• dependence on stealing everything the Beatles already did and yet still have the balls to claim they are the best band in the world. It's one thing to buy into the hype machine -- it's another be an ass about it.
• inability to put on an interesting stage show. Their shows are basically watching them stand still while Liam wanders around trying to figure out where he is and reasons he hates his brother.
• self-obsessed blabber (mentioned above). It's one thing to say your the greatest... but to do so while constantly knocking down others around you? It's the move of a coward who is, I suspect, slightly aware of his own mediocrity.
• refusal to use their celebrity/voice take a stance on any global issues. As a matter of fact, Noel is quoted as saying:
  • To Bono, "Play 'One,' shut the fuck up about Africa"
  • To Thom Yorke, "Who wants to sing the news? No matter how much you sit there twiddling, going, 'We're all doomed,' at the end of the day people will always want to hear you play 'Creep.' Get over it."
• (on top of it all) the anti-Blur rantings. It's one thing to not like Blur or hate Damon Albarn, but it's a whole other thing to say "I hope Damon would catch AIDS and die."

In short, they've glamorized beer chugging and churlish, dull behavior.

Sure What's the Story Morning Glory was a palatable album at the time. I predict, in the long run, it won't prove timeless; it will not be the album from that time period that future bands will strive to recreate (as countless bands have done with albums Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, Roxy Music, etc)... I guess because they'd be recreating the Beatles if they did.

Has anyone's sound been described as 'Oasis-eque'? In my opinion the only thing they've done is burden the britpop community by provoking behavior that is classless and infantile.

"It's the move of a coward who is, I suspect, slightly aware of his own mediocrity."

Here here, imaginary liz!! You tell 'em what's the story, morning glory!

agreed. i'm definitely not one to defend oasis (the crit about their effect on the british music industry is spot on; oh, how i loathe generic britpop), but at least they made some great singles. i have yet to hear anything from bloc party worth mentioning, though i think i may have been bored by them live at least once.

'definitely maybe' is a great debut, and "what's the story" makes my "perfect list" every time. i agree that the oasis chaps haven't progressed much beyond that - but honestly, do they really need to when they leave those 2 gems in music history?

Thank you, Stella!

I'm getting crushed so far on the Imaginary Blog! My love for Bright Eyes is past tense and my love for Ryan Adams past, present, and future.....how do I write for you people???

I think there are no "Oasis-esque" bands for two reasons:

1. It's a hard word to pronounce and sounds weird. Not cool like "Kafkaesque" or "burlesque."

2. No one sounds like Liam. Name a Modest Mouse-esque band. Hard, right? Because no one sounds like Brock (well, maybe Frank Black a little). Much of British rock has been influenced by Oasis musically, I'd argue, not above which are Blur and the Doves, two bands this site loves. (sorry...) : )

For a year or so there, half the live bands I saw in Seattle sounded like Modest Mouse. We referred to them as Phil Ek-esque, which I believe is even slightly trickier to say than "Oasis-esque."

And sure Liam has a nice voice... but he's also a complete prat who hasn't done recorded stitch worth hearing in... how long?

it's time for me to share my pet-name for oasis: "wassis" - it makes the "-esque" factor a bit easier to pronounce. (this term was coined when, while working at a record store long ago, a cute japanese tourist came in and asked me "do you have wassis?")

I wrote a combative review back in my college days between What's the Story, Morning Glory and Blur's The Great Escape, extolling the virtues of the latter and ripping into the former in much the same was as Kele. I got hatemail from the Oasis-lovers, but who has latest longer in the long-run? Well, I guess you can't count Damon Albarn's discography as Blur, but I don't see the Gallaghers doing much but, well, nothing. Heck, to me Oasis is the Derek Jeter of Britock: overrated, overappreciated and just need to go away.

That being said, Bloc Party isn't exactly the next coming, but they're more interesting than Oasis in their sleep.

If you say Phil Ek-esque enough times and fast enough, it starts to sound like Velasquez. And that's easy to say...

I haven't seen a lot of MM sounding bands. at least Crowded West sounding bands. But you go to more shows than I do. Blogs are dangerous because I don't resaerch things to write on them.