Oasis

A decade after Oasis spearheaded the Britpop invasion -- melding rough guitars and '60s pop melodies on a trio of record-breaking LPs -- the Manchester quartet has returned with Don't Believe the Truth, in an effort to direct attention away from the infamous public brawling of frontman brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher and remind listeners of their musical prowess instead. In fact, the eleven-track album proves a glorious second coming for a band that is now more united than ever. Oasis' renewed alliance plays out on the tambourine-tinged rocker "Turn Up the Sun" (where Liam admonishes everyone to "Love one another"), the gorgeous "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel" (where the once-brooding vocalist puts poignancy to paper with the reconciliatory verse, "You could be my railroad/We'd go on and on/Let's get along") and Noel's understated yet heart-wrenching closer "Let There Be Love." But don't confuse the Gallagher brothers' renewed fealty with frailty, as these blokes are no less bold -- evidenced by the fast and furious 90-second tornado of a track "Meaning of Soul" and the organ-driven "Mucky Fingers," wherein the Oasis boys pound out misconceived "truths" instead of each other.