By now, I’m sure you know that Rock Band is an amazing game. What makes this game exceptional, however, is developer Harmonix’s commitment to downloadable content. Each week, they release about three songs for download, and they have been doing it every week since the game’s release in late November.

Because of such consistency, I’m beginning a new feature called Band Practice (an apt name, considering it’s when most bands test out new songs… I think) where all of the downloadable content each week will be tested by yours truly on all four instruments and then given a rating of ‘yay’ or ‘nay’.

This week saw the release of a trio of Oasis songs. A British band whose members do not include Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, or Pete Townshend. All I really knew about Oasis before a couple of days ago was that a kid from camp would always listen to them whenever he was having lady troubles, and so my friends I would quote “Wonderwall” to see his reaction. It was fun.

So without further ado, welcome to Band Practice.

[Note: Guitar and Bass are judged on Hard difficulty, Drums and Vocals are judged on Medium difficulty. Additionally, Rock Band is always fun multiplayer, and so all of these were tested in single player, to isolate each part. A group dynamic was not a part of the review process.]

Don’t Look Back in Anger
Oasis
Guitar: A fun guitar riff with lots of short hammer-ons. The guitar solo is very easy.
Bass: Insanely easy, and it never leaves the background of the song for a second; monotonous.
Drums: Very easy, and nothing about this drum beat really stands out in my mind.
Vocals: It’s a fun song to sing, though it doesn’t showcase a lot of pitch variation. Rhythm tapping is very simple.
Final Verdict: I’d recommend it

Live Forever
Oasis
Guitar: A slow, chord-heavy song and a breeze to play.
Bass: Slow and easy.
Drums: Slow, boring, and repetitive.
Vocals: Probably the best part to play this song on. It is faster than the instruments and show some range. the last line of the chorus made me do an embarrassingly high pitch change.
Final Verdict: See a pattern here? I’d skip this one.

Wonderwall
Oasis
Guitar: A fast chord bonanza. Nearly every note is a two-note chord, except for brief hammer-on sections. Expect your fingers to get confused on your first playthrough.
Bass: The most challenging bass of the three songs, but still incredibly easy.
Drums: It’s a slow drum beat, but the pattern alters enough to make you keep your focus.
Vocals: Not very challenging, nor does it showcase a lot of range. Long notes are good for practicing when to breath.
Final Verdict: This is probably the best song of the pack. Recommended.

None of the songs this week stick out as a must-buy piece for your track list, but “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Wonderwall” are solid tracks. If your budget only allows for one, get “Wonderwall”. Most people will recognize the tune. I’d never heard “Live Forever” before and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” was the type of song that sounded familiar, but not enough to stick in my head.

These songs should now be available on both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network in a pack ($5.50) or individually ($2 each).