Daniel Ash

I wish so much that I could say I love this disc. Daniel blew us away as guitarist for goth heroes Bauhaus; he further wowed us with his trio Love and Rockets, and I wish I could say that his solo efforts were just as groundbreaking, but unfortunately I don’t really get where he is going in his new direction. This disc, on which he collaborated with DJ Keoki and Patina Creme, reminds me of being dragged by friends to some suburban dance bar, trying not to get irritated at the house-y/techno-y backbeats and wanting like hell to get out and go home. The music is simple electronica, using repetitive rhythms and lyrics. I would have got into it a bit more if he took the songs somewhere and got a little more creative here and there, but he gets stuck in a groove that doesn’t seem to go far. He does a cover of Classic IV’s "Spooky,” and has his nephew contributes a few spoken words. Other than that, his voice still has that raspy element that made Love and Rockets so popular, thank goodness.