Back in't day, Oasis were arguably the greatest and most exciting band of their generation, with epic hit single after epic hit single oozing from Noel Gallagher's every pore. But that was then. For the last 11 years Oasis have been a stodgy asthmatic dinosaur, steadily demolishing every molecule of the rock'n'roll myth they'd worked hard to achieve.

Post (What's The Story) Morning Glory, Oasis albums can be divided into three distinct categories - indulgent, faux-psychedelic cocaine fests that sound thinner than the Primrose Hill set (Be Here Now, Standing on The Shoulders of Giants), over-produced, soulless, pop-pap (Heathen Chemistry) and mid-paced "back-to-basics" dad-rock (Don't Believe The Truth).

But still they sell. It's a known fact that Noel Gallagher could record his own flatulence, lace it with reverb and demand Liam repeat the words "fookin' shine" for 7 minutes and 44 seconds, and the record would still effortlessly glide to number one. Not only that, it'd also be swamped in gushing critical acclaim, every publication wholeheartedly agreeing that Noel was right - this IS the best album since their debut.

Perhaps it's denial or maybe it's unbridled nostalgia, but I've got a hunch that Oasis' success lies in something more primal. For all their flaws, Oasis still represent the antithesis of the NME-obsessed scenester trash that 99 per cent of the population are genetically predisposed to abhor. They're inclusive, not exclusive and at three in the morning there's still no better band to slur along to with your friends. Add to that the fact that Noel Gallagher is without doubt the wittiest man in music - a self deprecating mix of grizzled raconteur and grumpy old man - and the recipe for total, basic entertainment is complete.

Ok so their new album is likely to be rubbish but nobody seems to care that the Rolling Stones haven't written a decent song in 34 years. We don't really need Oasis to be great, we just need them to exist in all their dysfunctional glory for our own simple pleasure. Perhaps its time we stop expecting high-art from Oasis and just roll with what we've got.