Id hate to be in a band for several reasons (blatant tone-deafness being one of them). The worst one would have to be having to think up new songs all the time. Imagine being Ash and trying to follow up Free All Angels, an album so positively dripping with tunes that it spawned six singles and picked up an Ivor Novello song writing award. How exactly does one go about topping that?
<*dv_1*> The clue is in the question; Free All Angels ended with a riotous two minute blast called World Domination, which seems to have been an advance warning of what was to come. How one tops such a tune-filled album is by hiring Nick Raskulinecz, the guy who helped make One by One from the Foo Fighters such a kick arse aural treat, and jacking everything in the studio up to 11. Meltdown is Ash going back to making a bit of a racket, which is a joy to hear and is enough to make me feel 17 again - albeit briefly.
<*dv_0*> The title track opens proceedings, surfing in on a wave of guitars with a cocky opening salvo (Revolution, Were the solution) and a nice bouncy beat. Strap yourself in, this is just the beginning. Orpheus follows, maybe the best single of the summer and a typical Ash track that seems to lament a lost love. Is it just a coincidence that its named after a Greek god whose songs were so beautiful they could calm wild animals? With a chorus this catchy, Im betting no.
Theres so many highlights I kind of feel spoilt for choice. How about the cyclic riff and gentle mocking of internet-only single Clones? How about the marshmallow-soft Starcrossed or the chunky, funky Detonator. Or theres the fact that Renegade Cavalcade is destined to be a festival crowd pleaser all summer (its also a contender for cleverest title ever), while Wont Be Saved might one day tempt me to go near a karaoke machine.
Compared to previous efforts theres a lot more guitar solos, a lot more rockers and a lot less ballads. Having said that, a lot of Meltdown is business as usual. Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray are a pretty unspectacular rhythm section, but thats only because Tim Wheeler and Charlotte Hatherley play all sorts of tricks on their vocals and harmonies. Its been said in the past that these two have got a fair bit of chemistry and that shows through here. Honestly, if you could HEAR a saucy wink at any time in your life, itd probably be during Evil Eye.
<*dv_2*> This is going to end up being a pretty short review, but thats only because I dont really need to say much - Ash have been doing what they do for ten years now and show no signs of slowing down. Hell, theyre not even 30 yet. This is the sound of a band who are at the top of their game and still have more to offer.
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