| Artist |
| Ashbury Heights |
| Title |
| Take Cair Paramour |
| Format/Cat |
| 2CD OUT 416/417 |
| Label |
| Out Of Line |
| Style |
| modern synthpop |
| Date of review |
| 19th August 2010 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 7.5/10 |
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If you're familar with Ashbury Heights' synthpop style then the guitar riff that opens this long-awaited follow-up will certainly come as something as a shock; is this going to be a pop/rock album? Are they trying to be the new Apop? The guitar-heavy stance of the opening 'Anti Ordinary' certainly seems to promise that this will be the case & while it is a good enjoyable track & Anders' vocals retain their characteristally cultured style, I can imagine a good few fans of their previous works quaking in their New Rocks at this point!! Once the following 'Beautiful Scum' gets into its stride it becomes clear that, while synthpop is still alive & kicking in Ashbury Heights land, this is still a very different album from its predecessor, eschewing the mix of 80s & now in favour of a more contemporary, solidly rhythmic style that has been described in the promo blurb as 'New Wave 2.0!! And while this probably wasn't the intention anyone who enjoys the current batch of popular chart bands could do worse than check out the more easy-going numbers such as the unexpectedly bright 'I Can Kill You So Easily' but it's the tracks that retain the band's established sense of drama that provide the highlights, among them the infectious 'Hope' & the punchy, surging 'Crescendo' which lives up to its title with a powerful, almost anthemic feel while new co-vocalist Kari makes her mark by adding a feisty shoutyness to the equally infectious 'Shades Of Black'. These three tracks come as a tasty mid-section trio of highlights but then, just as you might think you're getting into the album along comes the surprisingly bright & cheeky 'The Ashes Of Her Breath' with its bouncey bass chords & playful leads making for a most commercial number & you're confused again & then, a little later, the swaggering 'Dancer's Nocturne' with its glam rock-inspired bassline again underlines the fact that this is a very different Ashbury Heights from the fresh-faced duo who delighted us back in 2007. In fact, you have to wait until the tail-end of the album for a reminder of their past as 'Unbearable Beauty' & 'Invisible Man' come closest to the purer synthpop sound of yore & make for a satisfying conclusion.
For me this lacks that indefinable magic that made '3 Cheers...' one of the top albums of 2007 but you have to admire any artist who's prepared not to repeat a successful formula like this. It certainly needs a couple of listens to get one's head around the album but there are enough good tunes here to ensure that it's well worth persevering with.
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