Ash: Twilight Of The Innocents review

Artist

Ash

Label

Infectious

Release date

2nd July 2007

Genre

Indie

Ulster trio finally admit they’re a singles band – but give us yet another mediocre album anyway

The Northern Irish punk-pop trio recently announced that they will only be releasing singles in the future, in order to adapt to the digital age - or something. Why they took so long to do this is anyone’s guess. Their 12-year career has consisted of some quite good singles and five mediocre albums, their best being Intergalactic Sonic 7"s. It was a singles collection. The release of this final album further rams the point home.

Ash have retreated from the unabashed attempts to ensnare an American audience. Meltdown’s hard rock posturing ill-suited such fey indie boys, and Twilight... is more the mid-paced and melodic Ash of old. As you’d expect, singles Polaris and You Can’t Have It All impress most: the former lush with wistful strings and piano, the latter exuberant and pumping dancefloor rock. Unfortunately, the title-track album closer’s Muse-like orchestral ambitions comes far too late. Twilight... is over-long and packed with Ash’s self-indulgent yet lightweight US college rock-lite, further crippled by singer Tim Wheeler’s whiningly limited vocals. This feels like his final, arrogant stand before admitting what we knew all along.

More to try: Ash: Intergalactic Sonic 7"s Feeder: Echo Park Foo Fighters: The Colour And The Shape