Ash - Race the Night
Discussion
New album out from these guys, it's fantastic. Heading for a top ten placement in this week's chart, they have been touring record shops and smaller venues all over the UK this week meeting fans, signing promotional material, and giving small scale acoustic gigs of the new songs. I've been a fan since the Trailer days back in 1994/5, and this latest offering is a bona fide classic. Tour booked for later in the year and into 2024, very much looking forward to seeing a couple of gigs. In the meantime, give it a listen and see what you think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYXPIZfJAz0
Kerrang said:
It's easy to forget that Ash released their debut album, 1977, more than a quarter of a century ago. Not simply because of how youthful singer-songwriter/guitarist Tim Wheeler still appears, but how remarkably consistent the Downpatrick stalwarts remain. Race The Night is another excellent entry in that discography and, in places, their most rocking effort since 2004’s Meltdown. But while that previous effort was brasher in its approach, Race The Night is a sleeker and more adaptable vehicle.
There are heavy moments here, sure, but they differ wildly in their approach. Some, like the Weezer-esque Reward In Mind and Peanut Brain, arrive with their dynamic moments swathed in flamboyant clothing. Others, such as Like A God, dispense with the sheen and go straight for the gut, powered in no small part by a guitar tone that would have Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan throwing the horns. The track is so good, in fact, that it gets a rabid reprise at the end of the record.
This being Ash, there are of course quieter moments of contemplation. Oslo, a duet with Dutch singer-songwriter Démira, is a reminder of the trio’s long-standing way with a ballad, but also a deft paean to the impulsiveness of youthful romance. In the lyric ‘I’m going through a sea change’, it also reflects the evolution the band has gone through for almost 30 years, steadily building upon their sound rather than constantly reinventing it, all while retaining an exceptional ear for melodies.
Very occasionally, such as during the first half of the otherwise excellent Crashed Out Wasted, that compulsion to pour honey in our ears can lead to a little too much saccharine. But on the whole, Race The Night is a journey worth taking, deftly hitting all of the touchpoints that make Ash such a special band.
https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-ash-race-the-...There are heavy moments here, sure, but they differ wildly in their approach. Some, like the Weezer-esque Reward In Mind and Peanut Brain, arrive with their dynamic moments swathed in flamboyant clothing. Others, such as Like A God, dispense with the sheen and go straight for the gut, powered in no small part by a guitar tone that would have Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan throwing the horns. The track is so good, in fact, that it gets a rabid reprise at the end of the record.
This being Ash, there are of course quieter moments of contemplation. Oslo, a duet with Dutch singer-songwriter Démira, is a reminder of the trio’s long-standing way with a ballad, but also a deft paean to the impulsiveness of youthful romance. In the lyric ‘I’m going through a sea change’, it also reflects the evolution the band has gone through for almost 30 years, steadily building upon their sound rather than constantly reinventing it, all while retaining an exceptional ear for melodies.
Very occasionally, such as during the first half of the otherwise excellent Crashed Out Wasted, that compulsion to pour honey in our ears can lead to a little too much saccharine. But on the whole, Race The Night is a journey worth taking, deftly hitting all of the touchpoints that make Ash such a special band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYXPIZfJAz0
This album really rocks! The first 5 songs particularly are bangers, and most of the songs are suitably different from each other. I'm going to see them at Kentish Town on 11th October, was going to see them on 30th September at Bexhill but it clashes with something else (so if anyone needs tickets to that let me know!).
I have been a fan since back in the day and they are consistently good and this latest album is definitely one of their most polished. Loving the guitar solos, it's something I've wanted them to do for a while is add longer guitar solos - far too frequently on previous albums Mr Wheeler would set off on a banging riff then stop after a few seconds for the next part of the song to kick in. Special mention to 'Oslo,' quite a beautiful track.
I have been a fan since back in the day and they are consistently good and this latest album is definitely one of their most polished. Loving the guitar solos, it's something I've wanted them to do for a while is add longer guitar solos - far too frequently on previous albums Mr Wheeler would set off on a banging riff then stop after a few seconds for the next part of the song to kick in. Special mention to 'Oslo,' quite a beautiful track.
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