Ash
Free All Angels

THE REVIEW

After the somewhat misstep at least from a sales perspective of "Nu-clear Sounds," Ash returned in the spring of 2001 with an album that marked a return to the sounds that decreed their success in '96. Indeed, this "Free All Angels" brought them back among the bands most loved by the "under 25" audience, and this success was, in my opinion, deserved.

While fitting within the sound of "1977," this third album is incredibly varied and strong, even if at times too pandering to FM. This is the case with "Candy," which still boasts a nice string sample from a Burt Bacharach track.

In reality, almost all the album's tracks are authentic gems: from "Walking Barefoot," almost a generational anthem (or at least in Wheeler's intentions) to the super-hit "Burn Baby Burn" (best single of the year for "NME"), not the best track but at least with the merit of bringing a bit of punk rock to the charts, passing through "Shining Light" (reminiscent of the best Smashing Pumpkins), the summer surfpunk of "Cherry Bomb" and "Pacific Palisades," and the "gillespiana" "Submission" (truly seems like a song by Primal Scream)...

Things don't go as well when Ash attempt the big-single shot with not exceptional results ("Sometimes," too ingratiating), but then they redeem themselves with old-school and even virtuoso hardrock slaps like in the case of "Shark," the pumpkins-like "Nicole" and the concluding, lethal "World Domination." Few ballads, but good: above all, "Someday" shines with a final crescendo full of emotions, and the romantic "There's A Star."

It's not easy, at 23, to do better than this...an album that makes you think that if someone was looking for the heirs of the Smashing Pumpkins, well, here they are...we've found them. They come from Northern Ireland and they're called Ash!
Awaiting the new "Meltdown"....