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Ash – Free All Angels

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Apr 23, 2021.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    The Northern Irish band Ash doesn’t seem to get a lot of love here in the states, but I’m hoping by revisiting certain album landmarks such as the 20th anniversary of Free All Angels more will come to appreciate their music. This third studio album from Tim Wheeler (vocals/guitar), Mark Hamilton (bass), Rick McMurray (drums), and Charlotte Hatherley (guitar, backing vocals) is the one record I make sure to have on steady rotation when spring turns to summer. I started this tradition unconsciously back in the days of organizing my CD collection (in those big Case Logic binders) by making sure Free All Angels would be the first record I’d see in the front when school finally broke for summer vacation. From the opening lyrics of “Walking Barefoot” where Wheeler sings, “Your beauty took my breath away / In awe all day / Your company was so relaxing / Easy going ways / We saw the first signs of summer and springtime change / Walking barefoot along the sand / I hadn’t planned to stay / Yeah, we’ve been walking barefoot all summer / It’ll be sad my friend / To see it come to an end / Why can’t we just quit,” it marked a laid back transition in my mind of turning the page of the care-free days of what summer means in our youth.

    The youthful exuberance of discovering new love, new music, new friendships, and at times the lasting feeling of finding our purpose in life is all over this album that will always hold a sentimental place in my heart. The second track, “Shining Light” encapsulates a lot of these feelings of discovering ourselves as Wheeler sings on the chorus of, “We made a connection / A full on chemical reaction / Brought by dark divine intervention / Yeah, you are a shining light / A constellation once seen / Over Royal David’s city / An epiphany you burn so pretty / Yeah, you are a shining light.” Sometimes these moments can be found by visiting a new place, or by meeting that person that you know will change your life for the better. Ash does a great job of constructing songs like this one around their strengths. They have killer guitar parts, driving bass lines, and some of the best vocal harmonies you could ever find on a power pop record.

    The second single released from this album was coincidentally the first track I ever heard from this band, and is called “Burn Baby Burn.” I’m not sure if it was divine intervention, great musical timing on my part, or just my own natural curiosity as I heard this song blasting over the PA system of my local Tower Records that drove me to ask an employee, “Who’s this playing right now?!?” The helpful employee mentioned that they had this band’s album on display on one of their listening stations set up in the store, and the rest is history between my relationship to this record I’ve had in my collection ever since. The pure pop-punk bliss on “Burn Baby Burn” features everything you’d ever want in a single for a record; great guitar parts, solid hooks, a blazing guitar solo, and a beat that makes you want to stick around to see what else the band was capable of creating.

    There were some tracks that didn’t immediately grab my attention on the first few spins like the dreamy “Candy,” that features some free-flowing synths, a backing orchestra, and a sound that doesn’t really fit the vibe of the rest of the album. Wheeler sings casually over a few piano notes that, “Don’t you know it’s alright to be alone / You can make it on your own, yeah / Don’t you know it’s alright to be alone / You can make it on your own,” and the track really comes to life with the brilliant guitar solo in the closing outro of the song.

    Things get back on the right track quickly with “Cherry Bomb,” that has a syrupy sweet chorus that’s so catchy it would even make Rivers Coumo jealous that he didn’t think of it. Wheeler’s lyrics of describing a girl that he knows could be trouble, but could be everything he’s looking for, are well thought out and make for amazing ear candy. Lyrics like, “Every time that she walks by / Sends shivers down my spine / Makes me want to die / She’s a cherry bomb / She’s a bullet in my head / Pull the trigger and I’m dead,” was all destined for super-stardom on this under-appreciated song. Ash turns the album on its head with the dance floor ready anthem, “Submission” that features several looped sample parts, repetitious vocal parts, and an incredible bass riff from Mark Hamilton that keeps the song from losing its momentum.

    Even the starry-eyed tracks like “Someday,” and especially on “Sometimes,” never get too bogged down in their purpose of creating some variety on Free All Angels. On the former, Wheeler dreams about leaving all of his cares behind for the right relationship whenever that day may come. And on “Sometimes,” Ash creates a song as massive as its lofty goals and sounds like something Oasis may have made during their peak of creativity. Wheeler sings passionately on the chorus, “Sometimes it happens, feelings die / Whole years are lost in the blink of an eye / We once had it all but events conspired / Oh sometimes.” The song takes on new wings with the trademark guitar solo/bridge that the band mastered on this album. By painting with several different types of emotions, colors, and themes, Ash were able to bring the best out of themselves on these memorable ballads.

    Up-beat tracks like The Beach Boys-esque “Pacific Palisades” are pure summer bliss, and are meant for preparing for the first time diving into the ocean waves after a long year. Wheeler pays direct homage to the Beach Boys when he sings on the second verse, “It’s coming down in sheets of rain / Water’s running in the drains / I lie with candles by my bed / Brian Wilson in my head / Dennis Wilson, Sharon Tate / Dark pacific palisades, yeah.” Even the final song of “World Domination” takes on new meaning as I hear the slab of punk rock bliss as Wheeler wails, “We’re here to speak our minds / Won’t take up much of your time / We want and we want it now.” For a record that has 13 tracks over forty-eight thrilling minutes, their brevity goes a long way in showcasing how powerful their songwriting craft was on this album.

    There’s really so much to enjoy on Free All Angels that I hope everyone will get a fresh spin either today, or the next time you’re in the mood to feel something that reminds you of summer. This album made my outlook on life get so much better, gave me direct purpose on letting myself find the relationships I’ve always been searching for, and open my ears to different styles of music from all over the world. To the band that created these thrilling songs, I’m eternally grateful for finding Ash at a time when I didn’t know I was looking for that one album that would define me and pave the way for keeping an open mind to more self-discovery.

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  2. One of the most talented bands out there. I'm so happy I got to see them live a few years back. A-Z Vol. 1-2 is probably my favorite project of theirs, but there's a lot to love!
     
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  3. Bayside 182

    Wolverine Supporter

    Love Ash, great to see them getting some love on here.
     
  4. deflector

    formerly pizzatime

    Saw Ash on the In Reverie tour. Kind of Like Spitting/Moneen/Ash/Saves the Day. I think.
     
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  5. kpatrickwood

    Give what you can.

    I remember buying this CD at Circuit City and being so fucking stoked when I realized that it came with a DVD that had music/tour videos. Great write up, great timing.
     
  6. TailsTwelve

    Newbie

    Not on this album but their title track for "A Life Less Ordinary" is a 10/10 song for me.
     
  7. IH4N

    Newbie Supporter

    Awesome write up! I remember being blown away seeing the 'Shining Light' video on Rage (Australian music show). I picked up the 'Intergalactic Sonic 7"s' CD (with a bonus disc of b-sides) and it became the soundtrack of my summer. Still so much love for that compilation, as well as their albums.

    Speaking of their albums, I'd say Twilight of the Innocents and the A-Z series are criminally underrated.
     
  8. oneeightytwo

    Regular

    Nice write up!

    Another British band from that time was Feeder, who are also great. Did they get much love in the US?
     
    Crisp X, Bayside 182 and paythetab like this.
  9. satellitexyears

    Death Touches Us, From the Moment we Begin to Love Supporter

    First post, long time reader here!

    First time I heard Ash was on the Angus soundtrack. I went and picked up their second album 1977 and was hooked ever since. Haven't really listened to them since Twilight of the Innocents. But Nu-Clear Sounds and Free All Angels were some great albums.

    Saw them for the first time when they were the main support for Dashboard in 2003 then again in 2012.

    Saw the last post mentioned the band Feeder. Their first album Polythene was/is still a jam. They've got so many albums and are still going strong but they haven't gotten much exposure here in NA. Except maybe when they first came out and were on the Cant Hardly Wait soundtrack.

    (that was a long winded first post, but figured it's finally time to join the conversation!)
     
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  10. abear182

    Regular

    Great to see Ash getting some coverage on here!

    I am from N.Ireland and it's great to see bands like Ash getting the recognition worldwide.
     
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  11. Eml182

    Regular

    Their song Ride is still one of my favorites- band is solid, not to mention some classic 90’s work on the angus soundtrack
     
    paythetab likes this.
  12. Weezer17

    Newbie

    Have you heard of Keith Semple by chance?