As fast as Oasis arrived, so was the speed of their departure. Be here now, the bloated ’97 coked fever dream was their shark jumping moment, where all the excesses, the overproducing, and the Beatles-aping became their undoing.

Shame, as I genuinely liked Be Here Now, but The Masterplan, their ’98 collection of b-sides, is the better swansong. I was a bit tired of them by ’99, so I didn’t bother at all with Standing on the shoulders of giants.

That is until I watched Snatch. I read about Lock, Stock & Smokin’ Barrels and got a copy from a relative. The movie was tremendously enjoyable and I couldn’t get enough of Guy Ritchie’s style. So when Snatch was announced, I waited with bated breathe for its release. Everyone at the theatre having a guffaw, the visual style flooring us with every cool shot. The musical choices, just like in Ritchie’s previous, pure perfection. Massive attack’s angel when Mikey’s mum caravan burns is seared into my mind.

And then the final fight comes. The choice of song was perfect. I wish Oasis had gone more for this kind of direction. Still a rocker, but with a certain amount of samples to enhance the tracks. I swear Noel Gallagher could make fantastic electronica/britpop but he’s too afraid (or lazy) to try it. Check Teotihuacan from the X-Files soundtrack or his collabs with The Chemical Brothers and you know he’d be happy as pie to release an album of pure beats.

Fuckin’ in the bushes made me check Standing on the shoulder of giants…and my opinion never changed. I didn’t buy it, but I bought Snatch’s soundtrack. I did buy Don’t believe the truth and Heathen Chemistry, and I’d be lying to ya if I told you I can hum any song from those albums, barring The Importance of Being Idle, a song that is perfect only because of its Rhys Ifans’ led video.

Noel Gallagher always said he had a plan for three Oasis albums and it shows. Guess you can’t rip off Grant Lee Buffalo’s chord progression forever. As bloated as Be Here Now is, you can still tell songs apart, you can still find “fuck yeah!” moments. Everything after The Masterplan feels cynical. Honestly, I much prefer his solo stuff with High Flying Birds than everything Oasis post 2000. But more on that later.

-Sam J. Valdés López