Noel Gallagher is not an experimenter. We know this not because every Oasis album since 1994 has sounded near identical, but because the group's chief songwriter rather revealingly told Q magazine: "I'm not an experimenter". Equally surprising then to discover the Manchester moptops' seventh studio album features a sample of John Lennon's final interview, lyrics referencing Beatles hits, and music influenced by (read: borrowed from) 1966's UK Top 40.

But for all its over-familiarity, the euphoric 'Dig Out Your Soul' is more psychedelic than any of its predecessors. Again produced by Dave Sardy, who revitalised the band ? if not their sound ? on 2006's 'Don't Believe The Truth', it's awash with acid-laced grooves and murky, hypnotic vibes, man. Oh and some of Gallagher's best, ballsiest songs since 'Supersonic'.

Despite a clumsy title, the rocking 'The Shock Of The Lightning' rolls along as effortlessly as, uhm, 'Roll With It'; the stomping 'Bag It Up' is all hypnotic drums, wired guitars, snarled Liam Gallagher vocals and spaced-out lyrics ("I'm gonna take a walk with the monkey man"); the scuzzy distortion of Noel-sung 'Waiting For The Rapture' only magnifies the grime of the Doors-inspired riff; while slight in comparison, the tumbling 'Falling Down' is quite unlike anything else in the Oasis back catalogue; and, shifting between dreamy piano-led verses and those drunken shout-along Kaiser Chiefs choruses, Fab Four-influenced 'The Turning' is as ambitious as the words ("Shake your reptile baby") are cheeky.

Even the Liam-penned ballad 'I'm Outta Time', despite photocopying most of the Lennon songbook, is quite surprisingly magnificent.

But the high doesn't last ? with the best songs (ie Noel's) stuffed onto the first half of 'Dig Out Your Soul', the comedown is quick. Gem Archer's vapid 'To Be Where There's Life' is closer to death and Andy Bell's plodding 'The Nature of Reality' is Oasis by numbers. Liam's 'Ain't Got Nothing' ? The Who having an acid freakout ? at least has a pulse if no direction, but his listless 'Soldier On' is more like 'Drone On'.

Noel may not be big on experimenting, but the least he can do is wrestle back all songwriting duties from the others.