Free All Angels

Japanese version featuring 2 bonus tracks: Warmer Than Fire, & Gabriel.

Tim Wheeler is a young songwriter who loves the themes of summer and girls almost as much as the young Brian Wilson did. The difference is Wheeler grew up in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, instead of Southern California. Nevertheless, Free All Angels kicks off with the refrain "We've been walking barefoot all summer," continuing Ash's tradition of what Wheeler has termed "North Irish surf punk." The band have matured since the release of their last couple studio albums, 1977 (named for the year several band members were born, as well as the musical era the album emulated) and the more rock-heavy Nu-Clear Sounds (which often out-Stroked the Strokes), but they still deliver a sonic summer pop-rock delight here. "Candy" unashamedly samples Scott Walker's version of Burt Bacharach's "Make It Easy on Yourself," and Ash's pop culture references also include the Buzzcocks, John Barry, Phil Spector, Nirvana, T. Rex, Dr. Dre, and the Jesus and Mary Chain, to name only a few. "Pacific Palisades" (which name-checks Brian Wilson and all things Beach Boys) is almost self-explanatory, title alone, while the delicious "Shining Light"--a huge hit in the U.K.--should warm its way into the hearts of all guitar-based power-punk-pop aficionados after only several listens. --Bill Holdship