A-Z Volume 2

When Tim Wheeler announced back in June 2007 that his band Ash were turning their backs on the traditional album format, many people thought that the Downpatrick native had lost his mind. As the months sped by however, it slowly emerged that the trio had a plan to save music and also themselves. You see they were only going to release 26 tracks named after letters of the alphabet over the span of a year and reignite the world’s love for the humble three minute single and get back to their power pop roots.
A-Z Volume 2 collects 16 of their efforts together and despite showcasing large leaps in sound from the ten minute long instrumental ‘Sky Burial’ to the electro-tinged alt-funk of ‘There Is Hope Again,’ they all still sound like the band we fell in love with back when they released Trailer. To be truthful, few of the songs blaze with teen spirit the way ‘Uncle Pat’ or ‘Get Out’ once did, but the likes of the anthemic, hook heavy ‘Binary’ and the slacker rock suss of ‘Mind Control’ prove that the three-piece have matured into a consummate rock band that still have what it takes to start a fire in our hearts.
Key Track: ‘Binary’