THE PERFECT STORM OF MUSICAL RELEASES

Perfect musical storm: three mega-groups release albums in unison

PARIS (AFP) - The simultaneous release of stand-out albums by a trio of the biggest acts in popular music Oasis, Coldplay and The White Stripes is set to reconfigure pop charts and propel fans to stores around the world.

For Oasis, the doyen of the three, the group's sixth studio album "Don't believe the truth" is a return to high form after a long artistic drought.

Manchester's irascible and cocky Gallagher brothers, lyricist Noel and singer Liam, exploded onto the international music scene in 1994 with "Definitely maybe" and held the spotlight for much of the mid-1990s.

Their star power waned by decade's end, however, and was not helped by either the disappointing 2002 album "Heathen Chemistry" or a richly-annotated reputation for petulance.

But the new release, which 38-year-old Noel told French daily Liberation was the group's "best in ten years," seems destined to restore their place in the global pop firmament.

"X&Y," the third studio release of the wildly popular British group Coldplay, hit the stores on Monday. The success of their first two efforts "Parachutes" (2000) and "A rush of blood to the head" (2002) have sold a combined 17 million copies so far and will be a difficult act to follow.

But lead singer Chris Martin's crystalline voice and intimate lyrics seem to have struck a chord with listeners the world over, and the new album is a refinement of what came before.

The day after the digital version of the first single from "X&Y" was released, "Speed of sound" raced to the top of all 15 of Apple's online iTune sites.

In the United States, the ultimate bare-bones rock-n-roll duo The White Stripes have taken an unexpected turn with their fifth release, "Get behind me Satan."

The high-octane sister-brother duo of Meg and Jack White have set aside their signature stripped-down electric guitar sound in favor of, among other instruments, piano, marimba and acoustic guitar.

The end result still rocks, though some of the songs have a "country" feel as well. The whole album takes a nod at the 1940's and 1950's even Rita Hayworth gets an honorable mention in the track "Take, take, take."