Ash - Polaris Album Review

Ash
Polaris
Album Review

Having just rocked the Isle Of Wight Festival, Ash now release the second single from their imminent 'Twilight Of The Innocents' album. The Irish trio will spend the summer supporting the record across Europe on an itinerary that includes a four night residency at London KOKO and a headlining spot at the Carling Festival.

'Polaris' (which is another name for The North Star fact fans) is possibly the most un-Ash single to be released in the band's 12 year career. Built on a simple piano melody and backed by a huge string section, it's hard to imagine this to be the same group who perfected power-pop in 'Girl From Mars' and 'Burn Baby Burn'. It's a more mature sound, which isn't always a bad thing, but it takes many a repeated play to get a feel for 'Polaris' - hardly the immediate impact that a single generally needs. Credit to Tim Wheeler and his band as they're evolving their sound, this being their most epic release to date, and though it won't achieve the commercial success they've previously experienced it's good to hear them trying something different.

Alex Lai