Archive for Ash Arcadia

Ash – A-Z Vol.1 (Album Review)

Posted in Album Review, IRISH NOISE!, Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 25, 2010 by Tickets There

The last couple of months have been anything but quiet in the Ash camp. After the mega selling Free All Angles, the well received and much heavier Meltdown and the slightly underwhelming Twilight of the Innocents (Lads, you never gave that album any proper attention so shut the f**k up – Ed.) and the loss of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, it seemed Ash were on the decline. Like, how long can three guys all in their thirty’s write songs about summer romances and Star Wars?? When the band reappeared in 2009 and announced plans to release 26 singles over the course of a year, Tickets There didn’t exactly hold the highest of hopes. Goes to show critics, even under-experience, untrained ones like us can get it wrong.

Ash do everything on this record. If it’s hard dance basted floor fillers, gritty guitar grundge classics, catchy pop rock highlights, heavy guitar driven bruisers or stripped back, piano and acoustic ballads you’re after, you’re guaranteed to find it here. Tracks like Arcadia, Space Shot, Dionysian Urge, War With Me, Return of White Rabbit, Ichiban, Neon, The Dead Disciples and Command really drive this album home and prove Ash can write and release singles as easily as the rest of us breath. Bigger ballad numbers like Joy Kicks Darkness, Pripyat, Song of Your Desire and Tracers give the individual singles a connecting quality that brings them together enough to work surprisingly well as an album.

On top of the first 13 singles and Return of White Rabbit, the band have lashed on four extra bonus tracks and aside from the stench of cheese coming from Coming Around Again, they prove to work quite well. The Creeps is easily something the band could have written in their early Jack Names the Planets days which CTRL-ALT-DEL comes from the same family of A Life Less Ordinary.

We’re stumped for words. We have given Ash an excessive amount of space on Tickets There since last year and there’s a lot left to go. In short, these first 13 singles are the finest musical outputs Ash have released in almost a decade and with another 13 to go, we’re sure we won’t be stuck for words for long.

Follow Tickets There’s A – Z Singles Reviews Fortnightly by Clicking Here

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Ash – Pripyat (Single Review)

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, Single Review with tags , , , , , , , , , on December 21, 2009 by Tickets There


These A – Z singles are becoming very comforting. So far we’ve haven’t had any duds and tracks like Return of White Rabbit and Arcadia have already become firm fan favorites and earned permanent positions on the bands future set-lists. As well as them, we’ve had the excellent Tracers, The Dead Disciples, Joy Kicks Darkness (one of TT’s fav’s) and True Love 1980. All great, catchy, hooky repeat phrase, repeat phrase tracks that stand up well against anything Ash have done before.

Now, we’re moving along nicely into F and a wee track called Pripyat which they’ve released a few days after a big push for their H single, Space Shot so Tickets There is thinking they’re going to start focusing the video’s and marketing for key singles along the way rather than give each one the same attention. In all fairness, Pripat’s a little dull in comparison to Space Shot so Tickets There’s hopes for the next single, G aren’t riding high.

The track has the same grandness that we saw on Joy Kicks Darkens and Tracers but it’s lacking that little push that makes Ash tracks great. There is an overall flow and style used across pretty much every single we’ve heard so far in this series but while the others have all shared common traits, they’ve still managed to maintain a uniqueness that makes them stand out as legitimate singles. Unfortunately for Pripyat, it just seems to go with the motions and settle in the background. If this was a traditional album release, Pripyat would be a B-side at best.

Despite our words, Tickets There has heard Space Shot (as can you at www.ash-official.com) and believe us, there’s more good stuff coming from the lads. Stand by for the review.

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Ash – The Dead Disciples (Single Review)

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, Single Review with tags , , , , , , , on December 7, 2009 by Tickets There

God, I can’t believe how quickly these fortnights are going by. It seems like only yesterday Tracers came out and all of a sudden we’ve got another one! The fifth single of Ash’s A – Z series, The Dead Disciples is now available and it’s definitely worth making the trip to ASH-OFFICIAL.COM to hear it.

Opening with a nice gritty guitar, the song bursts forth with a tight mixture of electro-rock styled guitars grinding out some sweet ‘in your face whiteboy’ riffs. The song is one of those heavier, grunge styled Ash moments. The verse is stripped back with a tasty dirty bass line and some naughty little pulls from the guitar and Tim’s punk rock style vocals. Unfortunately the chorus, while still catchy and belting, is a bit over harmonized for the verse which stops it from competing with past grunge glories like A Life Less Ordinary and Innocent Smile, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the catchiest singles of the series.

Overall all it’s another winner. Tickets There can say happily that we prefer it to Tracers and would currently rank it second overall behind Arcadia. Now, that’s enough from me, go check it out and see what you think. Until next time, (F), have a pleasant two weeks.

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Ash – Arcadia (Single Review)

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, Single Review with tags , , , , , , , on November 7, 2009 by Tickets There

arcadia

On a total Ash buzz today and can’t wait until Monday to review the next single. Song has been heard, words must be written and bitches must get their rock!! The third release from the A – Z Series is titled Arcadia and it’s due out on November 9th. If you’ve been following the band recently, you’ll know all about the 26 singles being released every fortnight for the next year. If you haven’t been following them, you know it now!

So far we’ve seen some disco. Then we got some monster eighties mash up. Then we saw some featherweight rock ballady work. Arcadia notches things up a wee bit in all respects. I haven’t heard the studio recording so this review is just based on a live video on You Tube.

The start is similar in ways to the last single, Joy Kicks Darkness. However everything kicks in a lot faster. The guitars are louder and heavier. The drums are wilder and Tim’s voice is more classic Ash. There’s no quiet moments and the harmonies sound like they’ll be killer on the studio version. Its shit catchy and sung at this speed just increases its catchiness. What can I tell ya, it’s probably my favorite along with Return of White Rabbit.

The only thing missing (and maybe I’m just missing it) is a full on Guitar Solo like they had in Joy Kicks Darkness. Tim is the most unlikely rock guitarist since Rivers Cuomo but when he rocks; he fucking rocks the place (just listen to that riff in Uncle Pat…which I’ve just stuck on because it rocks so fucking much!). Still a pretty sweet track and one Tickets There hopes they include in the set.

I’ll add the video when they release the official one. Until next Time, Happy Halloweennnnnn…..belated 😉

UPDATED – 09/11/2009: Just heard the studio recording of this track and it’s savage. Go and check it out by Clicking Here.

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