Kablammo! is Ash's first full-length since 2007's Twilight of the Innocents. Though they made their mark as a part of the Britpop movement, Ash's rough-and-tumble side differentiated them, their sentimental lyrics and dreamy melodies balanced by bad-boy guitar shred. Ash created electric forcefields from hazy shoegaze, galactic and glowing, with dynamic builds and climaxes that verged on combustible.
Unfortunately, their later releases didn't have quite the same effect. Their latest, in particular, feels more like driving across the prairies than a trek across the mountainous peaks of their earlier work. Evoking Ash from Meltdown onward, some tracks feel like the Killers ("Hedonism") and others more like Sum 41 ("Shutdown" and "Dispatch"). Highlights "Cocoon" and "Let's Ride" are amongst the few tracks that suit the album's title.
Ash still generate radio-friendly tunes on Kablammo!, but they lack the depth that they demonstrated at their peak, and sound a little like they're merely repeating their post-millennial releases at this point.
(earMUSIC/Edel)Unfortunately, their later releases didn't have quite the same effect. Their latest, in particular, feels more like driving across the prairies than a trek across the mountainous peaks of their earlier work. Evoking Ash from Meltdown onward, some tracks feel like the Killers ("Hedonism") and others more like Sum 41 ("Shutdown" and "Dispatch"). Highlights "Cocoon" and "Let's Ride" are amongst the few tracks that suit the album's title.
Ash still generate radio-friendly tunes on Kablammo!, but they lack the depth that they demonstrated at their peak, and sound a little like they're merely repeating their post-millennial releases at this point.
