Eight years after declaring they were done making full length albums, the eternally youthful Ash return with – you guessed it – a brand new record of the full length variety. Leaving behind the style-hopping experimentation of their 'A-Z' project, 'Kablammo!' is a sparkling return to the band’s classic guitar-driven anthemics, and a mostly a fitting testament to the strength of the long player format.
So the decision to abandon albums always seemed like one that wouldn't last, but it was the right move at the time. Following an imperious run of form since bursting onto the scene in the mid ‘90s, 2007's 'Twilight Of The Innocents' – with the band once again a trio following the departure of Charlotte Hatherley - was an inconsistent, confused effort. A change of direction was needed.
The resultant 'A-Z' concept was impressively conceived and executed, with Downpatrick's finest releasing a single every fortnight over a 26 week period. That freedom reignited their creative juices, but when the inevitable compilations arrived their lack of overall cohesion highlighted why tailor-made albums are the essential listening experience.
The best records boast a unity from beginning to end, be it stylistically, thematically or – in this case – both. 'Kablammo!' is a rousing journey from darkness, confinement, repression and stasis into a brighter future where you can pinpoint your destiny and grab it with both hands.
Likewise, a consistency of style permeates proceedings, with the songs swinging between the summery melodic-punk sizzle and heart on sleeve balladry of their early releases. From the moment Cocoon rattles out the speaker it's game on. Rick McMurray's unstoppable drums could outsprintUsain Bolt, Mark Hamilton's seismic bass notes threaten devastation and Tim Wheeler shows just why he's one of the finest hook writers of his generation.
Let It Ride and Machinery only amplify that talent for marrying sun-drenched Brian Wilson melodies to ripping guitar work, with the latter's melanchoy epiphany resulting in the finest track he's penned since Shining Light. Elsewhere, Go! Fight! Win! is a supercharged bit of pogo-punk ear candy and the shuffling Shutdown so ridiculously effortless it almost disguises the craftsmanship involved.
Wheeler has always penned touching love songs by bringing a sense of romantic poetry to everyday affairs, but they cause a slight problem here. Great albums demand well-paced sequencing with a satisfying ebb and flow, so four ballads is too many and allows the 'filler' albatross to rear its head with the unremarkable Free.
The remaining trio are much stronger, with Moondust, Eternity and Bring Back The Summer – which could be the narrator from Oh Yeah looking back on his golden days – stirring gems of the highest calibre. But, ending the record with the latter two saps momentum and diminishes their emotional impact as a result. This record deserved to end with a bang.
"It hasn't helped that most people have forgotten how to make a decent album," Wheeler said in 2007 when waving adios to the format. While many have been shamefully seduced into satisfying the cravings of an impatient, download obsessed audience, Ash have seen the light. Minor flaws aside, 'Kablammo!' is their finest record since 2004’s 'Meltdown', and sits snugly alongside '1977' and 'Free All Angels' as another perfect summer soundtrack.
Ash Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sun June 07 2015 - DUBLIN Whelans
Mon June 08 2015 - BELFAST Limelight
Tue June 09 2015 - EDINBURGH Liquid Room
Thu June 11 2015 - LONDON Scala
Fri June 12 2015 - MANCHESTER Sound Control
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