OASIS has never been one to come up with anything original. After whipping up a fresh sound on their promising first album, they chose to pick the dried bones of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones for well over a decade now.

In recent years, the Gallagher brothers have kept their band relevant not with music, but with outlandish quotes and public sniping at one another.

That said, what makes their new album Dig Out Your Soul so shocking is how fresh and original it sounds.

"Someone tell me I'm dreaming/the freaks are rising up from the floor," sneers Liam Gallagher on "Bag it Up," an escalating rocker penned by brother Noel that returns the band to their stadium glory. It proves Noel is still capable of writing great rockers with addictive choruses, despite what you thought of "The Shock of the Lightning," the tuneless first single from Dig Out Your Soul.

The Beatles influences are still woven into the melodies here and that is unavoidable; they did record their seventh album in Abbey Road Studios. But the rip-off isn't nearly as obvious as it was in years past, and it comes off more as a homage. Now with Oasis, there is a fresh approach and a return to the joy of making music that is a world away from the tabloid drama that made them famous.

Despite the lineup changes and the focus on the tumultuous brothers, Dig Out Your Soul sounds like a cohesive band working in harmony. Every member contributes a track, not just Noel.

Liam's writing is on display on the swirling "I'm Outta Time." In the same sharing spirit, Liam gives the lead vocal duties over to his brother. Over screeching static that sounds like seagulls, Noel sings, "The summer sun/has blown my mind/it's fallen down on all that I've ever known" over catchy alt-rock riffs of "Falling Down."

Liam's snarl doesn't sound as contrived as it once was. He applies it to brilliant effect on the shuffling kiss-off called "Get Off Your High Horse Lady" and the strutting "Ain't Got Nothing."

"Let me come through/let me take you way over the line," wails Liam on the ragga-influenced "To Be Where There's Life." The sitars and hallucinogenic riffs make this Mumbai melody one of the most delicious things the band has produced in years.

Are there turkeys on this album? To be sure! But this columnist has spent far too long kicking this band when they are down.

We have here a new Oasis album to get excited about. Who am I to point out the stray skunks at the garden party?

I will leave Sir Cliff Richard to do that. He is claiming that the Gallagher boys have plagiarized one of his songs. Richard fans claim that track called "The Turning" is similar to the legendary singer's 1976 hit "Devil Woman", reports Britain's Daily Mirror.

This isn't the first time for the band. Noel has previously admitted plagiarizing Burt Bacharach classic "This Guy's In Love With You" for "Half the World Away," while "Cigarettes and Alcohol" sounded eerily similar to the classic T-Rex song "Get It On."

While there are some who may think their music sounds like something old, the promotion for Dig Out Your Soul is decidedly new. Oasis has also taken a fresh approach to the distribution of their music, embracing the digital age with gusto.

They published sheet music of the new album and invited bands to send videos of their performances of the songs. There are many on display on their YouTube page.

Additionally, the brothers Gallagher were in the subways of New York last month, where they recruited street musicians like Majestic K Funk of Brooklyn to add some sweet street soul to the track "Get Off Your High Horse."

After a fall tour of U.K. stadiums, the band will be landing here around Christmas (they play Madison Square Garden in December). For more information or to hear tracks from the new CD, check out their Myspace page, YouTube, or oasis net.com.