Singles

Ash - End Of The World

Richard Braddock 16/09/2007

Rating: 3/5

Hot on the heels of “Polaris” Ash are back with another single from their most recent and final album “Twilight of the Innocents”. Back in February the Irish band announced the brave decision to cease releasing full albums in favour of churning out solely singles in response to industry demand.

The track itself is the usual Ash fayre, albeit with a distinctly more ballad influence. Well produced and crisp, Wheeler's voice comes across clear and soaring, although I doubt it translates in quite the same way when performed live.

'End Of The World' is largely inoffensive, and fairly enjoyable in places, but is far from the bands best work. Being named Colin Murray's single of the week on Radio 1 will do little to stop this effort from drowning in mainstream mediocrity.

By the third minute the war-cry “Is this the end of the world?” is dangerously close to becoming repetitive and irksome before it slides oddly towards it's spaced out conclusion which bears more in common with a tape player running out of battery power than a plausible song finale.

Long live their decision to release only their best work in single format, but one can't help but wonder if Ash lost something that helped to separate them from the masses when Charlotte Hatherley left last year.

Watch the video:here