“The soundtrack to the Summer”

There have been a few moments in my life where I’ve been woken up from deep sleep by a song that won’t let you rest.

You’re in another world, next thing you know there is a pull, and something so good it must be from the other side is wrenching you out, shaking any remnants of dead head and replacing it with a bright light.

The first you think isn’t the usual waking thoughts of “just five more minutes in bed” oh no, the first thing you think is ”what the hell is that - it’s amazing. Am I still dreaming?” This time the song oozing out of the radio is “Orpheus”, the new Ash single that’s set to go stellar.

No doubt it will soon become ubiquitous, inescapable and eventually make your back teeth hurt, but for now it’s pure gold, a perfect pop song you can’t help but love.

The strength and size of this single are reflective of the entire album. It’s big. Really big. Huge right from the offset. From the opening feedback, lilted accents, bass, drums, guitars it all crashes together in a glorious and timely fashion. Everything is instant, catchy, infectious and hook laden.

The fact that this was recorded in California shimmers through at every turn. “Out of the Blue”, “On a Wave” and “Orpheus” all burn with a melodic charm and drip with honey rays. This album is surely destined to be the first true soundtrack to the summer, with countless kids using it as a backdrop to fall in love with each other and their haircuts.

Meltdown was produced by Nick Raskulinecz who has been behind the dials for System of a Down, Foo Fighters. It shows, sonically there is a slab of beef hung on this record, download only single “Clones” being a prime example. Tim Wheeler has called it the heaviest thing Ash has ever recorded. Meaty and rolling, it churns and blasts managing to be both heavy and poppy at the same time.

That’s the recurring theme on a lot of Meltdown, powerful rock production combined with heroic and unabashed pop sensibilities, and it works in a way that just can’t be argued with. This is a record that will surely crossover and turn on as many pop kids as it will satisfy the dedicated rockers.

It’s a balancing act few bands can pull off with any degree of conviction, and certainly not at this high a level. Nirvana and the aforementioned Foo Fighters spring to mind, that’s the kind of turf Ash are on with this record.

It’s potential single after potential single as they surge through 11 songs, each track infused with a vibrant sense of excitement that betrays a band in double figures age-wise.

At times Tim’s lyrics can feel a little cliched (“you know that I’d die for you”) and a shade saccharine sweet, but against this unashamed rock background it scarcely matters. Maybe it’s only easier to notice them because his voice, bolstered by singing lessons, is at the forefront of this record.

With Meltdown, Ash lay claim to the title of greatest guitar band in the UK, and on current form it’s hard to see anyone challenging them. This is the sound of a band honed, toned and fully on fire. And the soundtrack to summer 2004.

By Jonny Tiernan