Going Out With A Bang
After returning to the charts with 'You Can't Have It All' the Ash boys are back again with their fifth and final album (they're only releasing singles from now on) 'Twilight Of The Innocents'.
After the departure of Charlotte Hatherley, Ash are now back to being a three piece band and 'Twilights Of The Innocents' recaptures the brashness of their early material, while still showing maturity. Second track 'You Can't Have It All' is the perfect example of how Ash's original sound is just as effective today as it was in the mid nineties. 'Princess Six' and 'I Started A Fire' have the potential to become huge Ash hits like 'Shining Light' and 'Burn Baby Burn' they are both infectious, catchy and full of energy. 'Polaris' is undoubtedly their most mature single to date, showing that these three guys have finally grown into men. Even Tim Wheeler's voice sounds smoother and more mature. 'Blacklisted' sees the boys mess around with stoner rock although they don't commit to making it an all out stoner rock track.
'Twilights Of The Innocents' is full of a variety of sounds and their songs are definitely more complex in structure then on previous albums. They also seem to have turned Mark Hamilton's bass up a notch, many of the songs on here seem more bass heavy in comparison to previous releases especially 'Blacklisted'; the bass work instantly puts you in mind of the Pixies.
If Ash really stick to their words and never release another album then 'Twilight Of The Innocents' is a good way to go out. It is their most consistent release to date and shows Wheeler's ability as a song writer, but Ash has never been known as a good album band they're known for their singles. Maybe that's why Ash have decided release singles only in the future, and maybe that's why they wanted to go out with a bang on their final album.