Review:

on 2011-02-20 CharlesMartel Said:

It seems to be one of those universal constants that everybody likes Ash, just as almost everybody is ashamed to admit it. Formed from the same mould as other Britpop bands of the early- to mid-nineties, Ash never made it to the extent that many of their contemporaries, such as Blur, Suede let alone Oasis did. The main reason for that would appear to be the style of music Ash played. Let's face it, this could not be further from the brash Cockney smugness of Blur let alone the quasi-anthemic volumefest of Oasis. No, Ash were pure and simple a powerpop outfit. Look back to the Buzzcocks to see where they sprang from. Look forward to the Arctic Monkeys and the Libertines to see where their influence on the current generation was strongest felt.

Powerpop is often seen as the bastard child of punk, at least it was in the late seventies in the heyday of the latter. That was as unfair then as it is now. Powerpop was punk for people who wanted some release from the often hard reality of their daily life, not to be constantly reminded of the political and/or social conditions in which they lived. It was a kind of escapism for the working classes and, as such, did not appeal to the chattering classes of Hampstead and Pimlico who would return from their day job at the bank, put washable dye on their hair, don the safety pins and go out and pretend to be something they were not.

So, we come back to the original statement. Yes, everyone likes Ash because the music they play is accessible, catchy and easy on the brain. And everyone is embarrassed about it because well, like all bastard children, its presence is a constant reminder of an indiscretion. With this album, Ash have done nothing to overcome either drawback. The two singles, "Shining Light" and "Burn Baby Burn" are as catchy and as lingering in the mind as any you will find among their contemporaries. You could pretty much say the same thing about "Cherry Bomb" or "Sometimes" as well. Here is Ash trying their absolute hardest for that recognition which has eluded them. Many of the other tracks have pop-style hooks so they can hardly be faulted for trying to make the break.

What ultimately lets them down is the fact that they fall between the two stools of the working class escapist and the Hampstead pose(u)r. The former will find the overly polished performance and the perfect production strips the music of its essential rawness. Some of the lyrics too are too close to reality (or too far away from what you might call realistic escapism) to appeal. In particular, the track, "Nicole" which just happens to be my favourite, offers a call and response chorus built around the line -

"I killed my baby but I love her."

And as for the Hampstead poser, well this just seems too close to some imagined mainstream to be acceptable. Posers can only pose when they think they know something other people don't. Ash know nothing that everybody doesn't and therefore, in the mind of our pristine poser, know more about him than he would like to admit to himself.

The result is that what the band obviously hoped would be the album which brought them commercial success did nothing of the sort. This is a shame because at the end of the day there are some fine songs on here. Maybe Ash were trying too hard. But had they not tried, this album would have sounded like Busted or McFly and Ash are a far better outfit than that.
Rating: 7/10