By John Bedard
It is interesting to have your first introduction to a band be a 54-track long album covering 25 years of their music. I am not sure how I have missed this all this time, but I am glad to have been introduced to the band now. Getting introduced after a band has this much material out there is a lot of fun. You get to see a good chunk of the evolution of the band’s style over the years. Also, thanks to this being over so much time there is a nice variety to the album that you don’t get when listening to a more traditional album while never sounding like they have abandoned their sound.
Because of the wide range found on the album, it is hard to pin anything down to just a style or genre directly. There are tracks that sound like ‘70s rock, while others sound like ‘90s pop-punk. More than a few tracks remind me of early Weezer before ‘Beverly Hills’. The guitars have that, what I would call, a heavily overdriven Fender sound. This is probably where I get that ‘70s rock flair from. It is that normally clean amp sound that is driven way to hard. It is done perfectly and leaves nothing to be desired.
The vocals complement the music perfectly and also re-inforce my earlier statement drawing the comparison to early Weezer. I also get that surf sound a bit in the vocals. Bringing to mind a modernized Beach Boys vibe. Might not be the most accurate comparison but they are who came to mind. Listening to this, I picture surfboards on the roof of a 60s station wagon headed out to the beach. It might not be the same for everyone, but I think most people will have good vibes from what they hear.
This is definitely a feel-good album. The kind of music that is playing when you go out and make memories. I can’t imagine anyone not having fun with this album. With it being 54 tracks long and covering so much of the band’s history there are a few tracks for everyone here. If you are like me and have not heard the band before then this is a wonderful place to start. If you are already a fan I still think this is worth the pickup. It is a wonderful collection of tracks. This is a band that I will be paying attention to in the future.
‘Teenage Wildlife: 25 Years Of Ash’ is released on Friday 14 February. You can get your copy HERE.
Ash tour in March, with dates as follows:
- Tuesday 17 – Leeds, Stylus
- Wednesday 18 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, O2 Academy
- Friday 20 – Glasgow, SWG3
- Saturday 21 – Manchester, O2 Ritz
- Sunday 22 – Nottingham, Rock City
- Tuesday 24 – Bristol, O2 Academy
- Wednesday 25 – Portsmouth, Pyramids
- Friday 27 – London, The Roundhouse
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