Instead, it is a refreshing album that lives up to its title. They sound like they have found their soul again, that working-class British swagger that won them fans across the pond, but alienated them here.

The way Oasis’ career progressed, they could almost be forgiven for following the path they did. They cranked up the noise on ‘‘Definitely Maybe,” turned it down for ‘‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory,” combined the two in ‘‘Be Here Now” and went electronic on ‘‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.”

After that, they had to decide to become stale, or go in a completely new direction, and they chose the latter.

Their previous two albums, ‘‘Don’t Believe the Truth” and ‘‘Heathen Chemistry” were the works of a band in stasis. While they weren’t necessarily bad records, it seemed that Noel Gallagher was more content to hand over the songwriting reins to other members, and the result was the musical equivalent of lukewarm tap water.

Noel still doesn’t dominate the liner notes the way he once did, but one senses that even the songs credited to Liam (a whopping three) have his influence more than is being let on.

In the band’s previous incarnation, the other members were relegated to mere studio musicians, playing and singing on Noel’s songs, but having little or no input into the actual content.

There is the famous story of a young Liam asking a slightly older Noel if he would join the band, to which Noel replied, ‘‘Only if you play my songs and only my songs.”

Maybe it’s old age that has softened ol’ Noel up, but as Oasis’ albums reach double digits, he even lets the rhythm guitarist and bass player write a ditty or two.

Andy Bell and Gem Archer certainly aren’t the songsmiths that Noel is, their contributions — Raga influenced electronic on ‘‘To Be Where There’s Life.” (Archer) and the clomping ‘‘The Nature Of Reality” provide a new voice that doesn’t clash with the old.

The swagger starts in earnest with the opening seconds of ‘‘Bag it Up,” the lead track. Liam’s voice sounds like it has been treated to a couple thousand cigarettes since we’ve heard him last, but it becomes evident that the generation’s best vocalist this side of Axl Rose hasn’t lost it quite yet.

The first single, ‘‘The Shock of the Lightning,” is the Oasis we knew and loved in the early days, a chorus that didn’t exactly have a hook, but was catchy nonetheless. Oasis was always best when their songs were underlined by a Beatles-esque acoustic guitar and tambourine underneath the noise, and that is back as well.

Speaking of the Beatles, the not-so-subtle lyrical and musical references to the ultimate rock band are in the album aplenty. Whether it is the ‘‘Mother Nature’s Son”- style riff that closes ‘‘The Turning” or the mention of a ‘‘magical mystery tour” in ‘‘The Shock of the Lightning,” Oasis is once again content to wear their admiration for the four mop-tops from Liverpool on their sleeves.

On ‘‘I’m Outta Time,” Liam’s voice hits high notes that he hasn’t since 1995, whether or not he was physically unable to before is anyone’s guess.

‘‘(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady” brings the familiar (and peculiar) use of parentheses that Oasis used to use, as well as a bluesy stomp that they haven’t used before.

Even Noel’s vocal contribution, which were generally the throwaway tracks, have a new life of their own. ‘‘Falling Down” combines a catchy melody with an infectious rhythm, and the result is a song that actually benefits from Liam taking a time out.

If you’re wondering ‘‘Why so many references to old Oasis?” it’s simple. In their day, they were one of the biggest acts in the world, and it’s not their sibling rivalry that put them out of the spotlight. Now that the quality of music is back, maybe the acclaim will follow.

Overall, the album shows a promising new direction for Oasis. It shows that they are able to evolve without losing what makes them Oasis, something that most bands try and fail to do.

While the previous years brought us a band that was content to tread water, the new album shows that Oasis might be ready to swim out to open waters