Ash - A-Z Vol 1

Thu 29th Apr, 2010 in Music Reviews

A-Z Vol. 1 from Irish rockers, Ash, is the record many people thought would never happen. After the release of their sixth studio album, Twilight of the Innocents the group declared that it would be their last.

Many people took this as proof that the band were on the verge of splitting but instead the artists decided to take a leaf out of books by Radiohead and The Smashing Pumpkins by releasing 26 songs at a rate of one per fortnight because quote: “Nobody listens to albums anymore”. The result is a compilation that is not too far removed from a standard record.

With the new format comes a change in direction for some of these 18 tracks. The group are renowned as pop veterans thanks to their distinctive brand of tunes, but this time around there is a heavier influence of synthesiser permeating the music. Thus, it’s easy to chalk these ones up as appealing to fans of The Presets who are looking for squeaky-clean synth pop.

The tracks are extremely catchy and danceworthy meaning they’re just the kind of thing you could imagine even the most apathetic indie kid dancing along to and enjoying. True Love 1980 is pure retro fun and sounds like the Pet Shop Boys reinterpreted by a younger trio with computers and sans the ridiculous outfits. At the very least, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist, Tim Wheeler sounds like he could be the love child of Neil Tennant.

From this the group move into the area of straight up rock as Wheeler embraces his inner guitar God in Joy Kicks Darkness. Then it’s off on a tangent via harmonies in space in the sublime Muse-inspired Arcadia. This is the first of at least two references to the superstar trio with Ichiban starting off like one of Muse’s grandiose numbers before segueing into the rock territory previously inhabited by The Fratellis. Capping off this release are four bonus tracks, the most noteworthy being the Carly Simon cover, Coming Around Again. In all, this leaves you with a diverse sounding mix that also sounds damn cohesive thanks to its common musical themes.

Ash may have split with their label and relocated temporarily to New York but it seems to have worked wonders as A-Z Vol. 1 proves that their music has been completely rejuvenated. Here the boys sound like a really melodic New Order as they have produced rock and electronic tracks that are equally good and catchy. With music as colourful as the fragments on the excellent cover, Ash are poised to provide a perfect party soundtrack to the indie kids wanting to dance, rock, sing and throw their hands up in the air.