Ash – Free All Angels

 

Ash – Free All Angels

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

Adding a member can make or break a band. If their contributions are good, they can take the band to the next level. However, poor chemistry can also shorten the shelf life of the group.

So, when Charlotte Hatherley joined Ash in 1998, people had to be wondering – how would her chemistry with Tim Wheeler be? And how would the new dynamic effect the band long term? Turns out, pretty excellently.

Hatherley record with Ash for their second record and toured with them in support of it. By all accounts, the shows were even more exciting than before. Having a second guitarist to play off of, Wheeler was freed up to add more elaborate lead guitar to the songs.

To her credit, Hatherley displayed a keen ability to play counter-leads to Wheeler’s guitar lines. She was also a rock-solid rhythm player. But Ash fans had to be wondering – how would their next album be? And how far would this forward momentum go?

“Walking Barefoot” opens the album with jangling guitars and Tim Wheeler’s voice before the rest of the band crashes in, in exhilarating fashion. The track uses summertime and the end of the season as a metaphor for a relationship starting to turn sour. But it’s “Shining Light” where the real fun starts.

Chiming power chords and Wheeler’s voice introduce the track in sweet but subtle fashion. Hatherley’s guitar leads come in and the track continues to build. Once the chorus hits and her dreamy backing vocals join in, the track is brought to a whole new level.

Wheeler uses a biblical metaphor for the love he feels in his relationship and it is an effective tool. Hatherley said that when Wheeler initially demoed the track for the band, she knew it would be a hit. And it was. But not only for Ash.

Annie Lennox did an excellent cover of “Shining Light” in 2009, which brought the track further ears and accolades.  Noel Gallagher even said he wished he’d written it.

“Burn Baby Burn” charges out of the gate with fiery energy. Hatherley and Wheeler again harmonize in the chorus to great effect. Hatherley also channels the sound of The Pixies in her solo.

“Sometimes” is perhaps the strongest track of all. A blast of Wheeler’s lead guitar and Hatherley’s dreamy backing vocals open the song in grand fashion. Wheeler’s love seems to have gone astray. He mentions the distance he feels from her and how it keeps him awake at night.

Hatherley contributes gorgeous electric piano accompaniments to the verses, which compliment Wheeler’s vocals nicely. It’s another subtle but effective way she adds to the album, bringing it from good to great.

Once the chorus hits, we realize that Wheeler and his partner have lost feelings for each other. Musically, it’s a melancholy but anthemic track, sounding like Smashing Pumpkins combined with The Verve.

Lineup changes aren’t always this successful, but adding Charlotte Hatherley was the best thing Ash could have done. Their first few albums showed promise, but on Free All Angels, Ash deliver on that promise in spades.

Infectious/2001