Ash - Polaris (Infectious)
3/5
By: Tom Hocknell
It's always striking when bands go through their celestial stage. It demonstrates a concern with greater things than girls and cars, as if there is anything greater. Muse were the last. So, with Charlotte Hathaway gone, what have the original Ash boys still got to offer? Well, anthemic, piano/bass driven beginnings, leading into sumptuous verses about not letting a girl down. Thankfully there is no sign of space operas to be seen. The noisy, swelling chorus demonstrates they have not drifted too far from the heavier rock of previous album 'Meltdown', although the production is less muddy than previously, a niggling trait of Ash.
Most importantly this has a nifty sleeve, with a tiny flashing light amongst a picture of stars, which is ignited by gently pulling out the ignition strip. Or in this case tearing into the digi-pack like a chainsaw on amphetamines, resulting in the light now flashing amongst torn cardboard shards, as opposed to the evocative back drop of the milky way.
As Ash recently announced, if they are intending to now only release digital singles, (why don't more bands follow this example?), there needs to be a little more identity in the future, but for now this'll be happily belted out of white vans across our nation, like 'Burn, Baby Burn' before it.
Watch the video to 'Polaris' HERE.
Artists in this article: Ash
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