BROTHERS IN ARMS: mumblemumble[expletive]mumblemumble

If my brother assaulted me with a tambourine while high on crystal meth, or heckled me during a solo performance, I probably wouldn't stay in a band with him. But I'm not Noel Gallagher. Noel's little brother, Liam, is one of rock's most storied bad boys, and it says a lot about their joint creative potency that they see a need to continue performing together as Oasis. Whatever they've got together, it's worth keeping, and so they soldier on, not yet dying and not particularly liking each other.

I don't want to give you the impression that Noel is, well, stable, but when Liam Gallagher is your brother, you wear that crown by default. But the man can write songs. Noel only joined Liam's band on the condition that his songs would be front and center, and it was a good choice. Since their 1994 debut, Definitely Maybe, the Oasis boys have mastered the catchy, loud, did I say catchy? genre known as Britpop, the name given to post-Beatles hooky UK rock.

We all know "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova," or we should, but there's more. Somehow, in America, Oasis have been dismissed as a one-album wonder, since (What's the Story) Morning Glory was the band's only LP to make a splash stateside. In their native country, though, Oasis have earned eight number one singles and remain a top draw. Even their collection of B-sides was a top-seller. More importantly, it was good, reinforcing my feeling that no amount of Gallagher-on-Gallagher acrimony can derail such a talented duo.

They are essentially a duo. Liam and Noel have alienated or fired (or both) every other member of their band over the years. The sound, though, has never really changed. Liam still shouts like John Lennon impersonating Johnny Rotten. Noel still writes deceptively simple songs so infectious they put your brain in a vise grip. And they both continue to mumble incoherently whenever some poor sap tries to interview them. May they never stop.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Acquiesce" by Oasis
AVAILABLE ON: The Masterplan; iTunes