Ash: Intergalactic Sonic 7s (FMR)

 |   |  <1 min read

Ash: Intergalactic Sonic 7s (FMR)
The power pop single was in safe hands with Northern Ireland's Ash, a young and feisty trio - and latterly quartet - who brought brittle, angry energy to the three-and-a-half minute, chart-aimed song. But singer-writer Tim Wheeler had a post-grunge sensibility, pop smarts to burn, and could astutely meld his influences (punk, Nirvana, bubblegum-on-speed, the Vapours' new-wave pop of Turning Japanese) into something distinctive.

This solid, non-chronological 19-track collection - plus bonus disc of 22 B-sides - wraps up their career from the feet-finding early singles (the precociously orchestrated Oh Yeah a highlight on the 1977 album), into their career-defining moments (Girl From Mars, Goldfinger, Jack Names the Planets, Kung Fu) and their recent mature work (Burn Baby Burn, the adult pre-occupation of this year's Sometimes, the swooning string-embellished ballad There's A Star).

Wheeler grew up in public but has been one of the most consistent pop songwriters of the past decade - and the bonus disc shows the high calibre of songs he was prepared to relegate to prove it. Recommended.

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Music at Elsewhere articles index

The Quick and the Dead: Heartbreak 365 (Cosmic Federation)

The Quick and the Dead: Heartbreak 365 (Cosmic Federation)

Elsewhere always has a warm place in its heart for young band full of energy, ideas (if not always original) and enthusiastic execution. And this Auckland three-piece has all those. While I... > Read more

The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath (PopFrenzy)

The Clientele: Bonfires on the Heath (PopFrenzy)

The charming, wispy and intimate pop of this London outfit has long been an Elsewhere favourite: their album God Save the Clientele was among The Best of Elsewhere 2007 and they share the same... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

MOLLY HATCHET: DOUBLE TROUBLE LIVE, CONSIDERED (1985): Flogging a bit too much Molly

MOLLY HATCHET: DOUBLE TROUBLE LIVE, CONSIDERED (1985): Flogging a bit too much Molly

Molly Hatchet out of Florida may never have reached the critical acceptance of the Allman Brothers Band or the popularity of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but like Atlanta Rhythm Section they were a pretty... > Read more

Kunming, China: People, people who need people . . .

Kunming, China: People, people who need people . . .

Sometimes it is the small things rather than the grand sights you remember after a trip. Around the bustling city of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, there are certainly sights to be... > Read more