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Ash- 'Twilight of the Innocents' (Infectious) Released 02/07/07

"Ash’s final bow is far more under-whelming than hoped for..."

Ash-  'Twilight of the Innocents' (Infectious) Released 02/07/07
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Apparently, this is it for Ash. Not as a band entirely, but �Twilight Of The Innocents� will be their final full length album, with any further music produced reaching our ears through downloads only. Whether that proves to be the case or not, there is certainly a morose, end of the line feeling running through a lot of the songs assembled here. It�s hard to believe that the band are now all in their 30�s and are long established as fixtures on the Brit-rock scene, considering the youthful vibrancy that normally flows throughout their best work. With guitarist Charlotte Hatherley now off pursuing a solo career, Ash are now back to being a three piece for their self produced swansong.

However opening track �You Started A Fire� suggests that it�s a case of same old, same old, the harder rock edge of 2004�s �Meltdown� gone. Instead, it�s the usual dose of energetic pop-punk that the band have always been proficient at conjuring up but suffers for that same reason: everything about it feels like Ash by numbers, a band going through the motions. Sadly, this occurs throughout �Twilight� and really hampers it, a case of formulaic material being trotted out time and again. There�s a plodding atmosphere on the likes of �Shattered Glass� while the jagged guitar and lengthy solo of �Ritual� can�t disguise the weary air that permeates it, nor the fact you suspect Tim Wheeler can write tracks like it in his sleep. Even, recent single �Polaris� suffers a similar fate, its heavily hyped piano intro giving way to an overwrought middle of the road ballad.

That isn�t to suggest that these tracks are utterly interminable,  it�s just that you�re left wanting something more, rather than what seems to be re-hashes of (admittedly catchy) prior work. However, there are still moments that impress here. The band are still capable of powerful rhythms while Wheeler�s song writing remains as sharp as ever and this time seems to being powered along by a cynical, dark heart. With talk of suicide, Hell, death and broken promises, this features some of his most bitter, intense lyrics, suggesting a new degree of introspection and maturity.

Evidence of this can be found on the revved up thrust of �Palace of Excess� and the strum along pop of �End of the World�, which features Wheeler musing that �If I die, will anyone notice?� to an oddly summery, cheerful backing. More aggressive is the album�s first single, the Muse esque bass driven �You Can�t Have It All�, which contains a chorus venomous and strong enough to level a small building.

Best of all is the album�s title track, an epic six minute plus closer, which is an absolute Hollywood blockbuster of a tune, with strings added to an slow building piece of work that grows and grows until it becomes a thumping stadium rock beast of a song, a stirring, pulsating conclusion to the album. Sadly, there just isn�t enough of that throughout this album. Too many of the songs here are just a bit too generic for their own good, meaning that Ash�s final bow is far more under-whelming than hoped for.


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