Ash Album Under Construction

For a little while now, I’ve been meaning to gush in this blog about the awesomeness of one my all-time favorite bands, Ash. If you haven’t heard of this Irish outfit, it’s probably because you’re from the U.S. I only learned of their greatness because one of their albums (Free All Angels — still my favorite) was on display at a Borders back in the early 2000s. Since then, I don’t think they’ve had a single release in the U.S., except maybe a song about clones in a Star Wars videogame.

That’s all changing with their new project — The A-Z Series (a title that sounds cooler in the UK because they pronounce Z like “Zed”). Breaking from the traditional record publishing mold, Ash plans to digitally release 26 singles, one every two weeks, for the next year. A subscription costs $20, but the band so far is letting people sample all the songs in full before buying.

The group just released the C single, “Arcadia,” last week and it’s one heck of a catchy rocker. If they don’t break through with at least one of these 26 singles, I’m going to be very depressed with the record-buying public. So what are you waiting for? Head over to www.ash-official.com now!

Update: Also, check out this article about Ash from The Guardian!