Rock Candy (Free All Angels - Ash)

Member Name: wicked_witch

Product:	Free All Angels - Ash
Date:	03/07/02 (69 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good fun, very summery, Tim is V cute :-P

Disadvantages: deep as a puddle, A return to form that could have been much better, the total crapness of Candy and Someday

Free All Angels was a triumphant return to form for Ash, who previously had nearly been annihilated by their own sucess. Their previous album "Nu-Clear sounds" had suggested they were heading towards a heavier, rockier sound, but they return to the loveable indie/powerpop that they're so loved for with this little CD. I chose this for one of my top ten albums of 2000, and I really don't know why now. Its a good album, but looking back it really is nothing special.

Its unfortunate to say that, despite the pretty-damn-goodness of this album, Ash never reach the level of greatness they did with such cracking tunes as "Girl from Mars" and (my fave) "Kung Fu". "Shining Light" is a lovely, anthemic tune built for pogoing to, but it doesn't have that certain something that "Girl from Mars" did, and "Burn Baby Burn", to me, was just fairly boring really, despite its popularity and success.

1. Walking Barefoot- A nice, summery, catchy opening track, which would probably do brilliantly well released as a single (or was it?). Having said that, Tim's voice is a bit tonedeaf in this one. Not that he ever was the greatest singer. A nice catchy, soft guitar tune overlaid with a much heavier one, while gives the song depth. Its heavy enough to appeal to indie fans but soft enough to be a pop hit.

2. Shining Light- For all the slagging off this track gets, I really love it to bits. The opening strains are enough to have me (and a scrum of muddy festival goes) bouncing about like a mad thing. The lyrics are undeniably cheesey and cloying "you light up my life" "we made a connection", but its one of those songs that manages to both have you saying "awwwwwwwwww" and dancing about. The addition of Charlotte would seem to be a good thing, at least on the strength of this song, it has a lot more substance to it than the old stuff. The best on the album.


3. Burn Baby Burn- A much heavier track, which Ash did really well with as a single. Opens with a high-pitched, repetitive guitar, and then the loud power chords make it equally catchy yet heavy(ish). A real sing-along chorus, and another summery jump around track that Ash do pretty well with. Not one of my personal faves, but it seemed to be pretty popular.

4. Candy- Barf. Vomit. Puke. I HATE this song. It just smacks of cheesey sixties pop. Samples the Walker Brothers "make it easy on yourself". Tim's voice is annoyingly whingey and cloying in this too. Symphonies, cheesey lyrics (hey, I like Jimmy Eat World for god's sake, but there is a limit).

5. Cherry Bomb- Opening with a low-pitched, intensely catchy guitar riff, this really is a pretty damn good song. Another one that could stand well on its own as a single. Watch out for the singalong bridge "every time that she walks by, sends shivers down my spine. Makes me wanna die". All about a rather sexy lady, whos like a bullet to the brain. This one will storm its way into your brain, go on strike there, and refuse to leave it for weeks. Possibly months.

6. Submission- How do i love this song let me count the ways. 1. The guitar riff totally rocks. 2. Its all about sex. 3. Its all about kinky sex. 4. Tim's voice rocks.
One of the heavier songs on the album, and it is bloody brilliant. This song has a really dark, dirty, gritty sound with effects laden, overlaid lyrics, and Tim sighing seductively at choice points in the song. Dirty little monkey.

7. Someday- Another song with a sixties symphonic pop influence to it. This one is nice though, still a little cloying. Its basically a hopeful song, with acoustic guitars and a sparse string section. Tim's voice sounds quite good in this one, it doesn't have too much of a whingey edge to it (which is his problem when he sings soppy songs). And hell this is a soppy song. Changes tempo we
ll, without losing impetus, and effortlessly adds an electric guitar and quite heavy drumming without losing the 'soft' feel.

8. Pacific Palisades- Another perfect summer track, albeit a very short on (under two minutes). A hell for leather pop explosion, thunders away at an incredible pace. Could have done without the quite crap, short guitar solo though. The songs gets higher in pitch during the verses, building up to another fantastic summery chorus.

9. Shark- has a cheesey eighties hard rock feel to it as it starts, with a thundering, roaring bassline, and a very feedbacky sound to it. Basically, its quite a poor song, a bit of a filler. It harks back to the Nu-Clear days which Ash would do well to forget.

10. Sometimes- Another lovely sappy, cheesey song. It has a great, sugar coated, wailing guitar line which echoes the tune sung by Tim (wow, hes holding a tune!) Has great lyrics like "cigarettes keep ya skinny, and your mind of the rain" and "I am no saint, but I understand". Has a great chorus, a real wave-your-lighter-in-the-air song. I'm incurably attracted to soft, loveable songs like this. Yuck. I'm so pathetic.

11. Nicole- Cracking song. All about killing your girlfriend. Interesting and unusual idea for a song I guess, but after the bondage song "Submission" Tim better watch what he's saying. Another brilliant, ridiculously easy guitar riff which you can't fail to love, and once again, masters the heavy-but-catchy-fun sound which Ash are pretty damn good at. Great line in this song "I said oh no! I killed my baby but I loved her". Not exactly lyrical genius, but still lots of fun, and another good party track. Another nice gritty sounding song, it doesn't sound overproduced at all, which makes that bit better.

12. There's a Star- yet more soppy crap with strings thrown in at regular basis. Tim's voice is exceptionally whining, and s
ounds at points like its breaking and he loses points for the crapness of some if not most of the lyrics "something magic in the air" "There's a star in the night sky". It sounds like he got out the rhyming dictionary for this one. Along with Candy, this one would have been best left off the album. The guitar is nice though.

13. World Domination- Ash are quite clearly stating their wish for pop success, and with an album full of bubble-gum rock they're quite likely to get it. Its got a real rocking sound to it. The call and answer guitars back up Tim's arrogant voice and vocals perfectly, and another track that thunders along at a crazy pace. "We're here to speak our minds, Won't take up much of your time" quite a cool bridge, and when singing this it reminds me of retro shout-out vocalists for some reason. Tim's voice does have a cheesey rock meets indie drone thing going one here, which I never knew was physically possible in any song. Top marks for a great end to a not bad album. It may leave the impression that the album is better than it actually is.

It has to be said that "Free All Angels" is an album that does so well because its full of catchy, summery tracks that the majority of people will like, not just Ash fans. If ever there was a nice, fun, shallow album that falls short just because of its lack of innovation then this is it. Its one that'll stay in your CD player non-stop for a few months, and then will end up at the back of your CD collection (or in my case, strewn on the floor) gathering dust. Come on now Tim, I know you can do better!

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