After Ash announced that this was to be their last conventional album – instead focusing on E.P. style releases in future through the Internet, it always meant their last LP would have to be something special.
After all, no one wants to go out on a damp squib.
In parts, they do it in the same tune of reckless abandon that they’ve done all of their life, with choruses and riffs that other artists would kill family members to produce, but in others they fall shorter than expectations would like.
It’s certainly no lie that Ash can produce a heavyweight, chart-molesting single like the best of them – Sophomore song You Can’t Have It All is the latest gold star Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray can add to their already overcrowded name badges.
All of this is after previous single release, Polaris, which recalls memories of There’s A Star and Starcrossed from The Downpatrick trio’s previous long-players. Even with the loss of Charlotte Hatherley, the band still sound as loud and colossal as they did as a foursome.
It all starts well enough with the Ash-by-numbers I Started A Fire, with Wheeler calling out like he’s screaming from a top of a mountain. Blacklisted keeps up the feel-good vibes and air guitar/drum combos in fine fettle too, with a healthy dose of pogo-friendly chart hit in for good measure.
The rampant guitar in Palace Of Excess is almost reminiscent of Weezer’s My Name Is Jonas, whilst the bass and drum combo is nearly as important here as on Kings Of Leon’s latest album.
Another positive is End of The World, which shows all the production skills that Tim Wheeler has to be as consistently good behind the mixing desk as he is in front of the stage. With electronic beats scatting left right and centre with a string section slapped on top, it shows a possible evolution and maturity that graced Grant Nicholas from Feeder.
What has been Ash’s downfall before though and shows again here is their ability to not run out of steam on an album. Unfortunately, it rears its ugly head again on Twilight… The first few examples of this are Ritual and Princess Six, where both songs could’ve been the same song.
As singles they may work, but on an album it feels uncomfortably similar. Another song, Shadows provides a look back into Ash’s history as previous song Envy, but with the tempo turned right down. Slick production skills won’t always keep you out of trouble.
The same goes for Dark And Stormy and Shattered Glass, that tends to wash over your head like a badly executed joke. The latter’s lyrics lag too, providing a near-cringe worthy comparison to “Staring at the fragments” of the shattered glass.
Fortunately, it lifts back up for a rousing finale with the title track. Guitars are more aggressive and menacing, the drums are booming and Tim’s voice is that little bit more aggressive. You actually feel the aggression. It’s a change for Ash’s regular short sharp song writing, but it’s a bloody good one.
The last Ash album might not be the final curtain that was wanted, but it does bode well for the future. With Ash working at their best in shorter bursts, their future E.P.s might make them a major force in the next step of the musical revolution.
