Ash - Twilight Of The Innocents

When Ash announced that Twilight Of The Innocents would be their last album, they sent shockwaves through their fanbase not once but twice. Having established that they weren't actually splitting up, they then confirmed that they would no longer release albums after this, only singles. They claimed that it is a new and exciting time for music and time for them to take some chances: "The way people listen to music has changed, with the advent of the download the emphasis has reverted to single tracks. It hasn't helped that most people have forgotten how to make a decent album," said Tim Wheeler. "I believe our new album is the pinnacle of everything we've done thus far, and I'm proud that this will be remembered as our last album. The future lies elsewhere and we can have a lot of fun by changing things up." We like to embrace new ideas here at Entertainment Manchester, but surely ditching albums altogether isn't the way forward? Singles are disposable things, most of which are forgotten a week or so after they are released, and it's albums that stand the test of time. Sure, the advent of digital downloads means that albums aren't as important as they used to be, because we have the freedom to pick and choose which tracks we want to have and listen to, but if you want to make a lasting creative statement, the long-player album is still the best way to do it. By abandoning it, Ash are condemning themselves to life as a 'singles band', a criticism that has been levelled at them plenty of times in the past. So, what of their last-ever album? Strangely, Twilight Of The Innocents certainly doesn't suggest that they can function as a singles band, because there's not really that many obvious hits on here, unlike Meltdown, which suffered slightly from having every single track sounding like it was written for Radio 1. They've come back - minus Charlotte Hatherley - and with a much darker and more reflective mood, much like 1998's underrated Nu-Clear Sounds. It starts off with I Started A Fire, You Can't Have It All and Blacklisted, all of which are upbeat, if slightly Ash-by-numbers, but then recent single Polaris signals a shift in theme and tempo. It's a great song, one of their best singles in recent years, with lovely production and soaring melodies, proving that Ash are just as good at doing ballads as they are at three-chord rock songs. However, some fans will be dismayed to discover that after it, the album focuses more on the darker side of life, with Palace Of Excess's ghostly refrain of 'suicide girls' indicative of the tone. Even the song titles like End Of The World, Shadows, Dark And Stormy and Shattered Glass give away the lack of optimism evident in both the music and the lyrics. Of course, Ash haven't turned into a Goth band or anything, and most of those songs have great pop hooks, but that doesn't change the fact that Twilight Of The Innocents is probably their least immediate album. Most of the songs need plenty of listens to really come to life, but even then, this still isn't the pinnacle of everything they've done so far. The most unfortunate thing about their plan for the future is that they won't ever get the chance to make an album that really puts them up there as one of the most important British rock bands. Singles just don't cut it in that sense...

Robin Thicke - The Evolution Of Robin Thicke

The son of a Canadian all-round entertainer, Robin Thicke doesn't look much like a slick soul singer, but looks can be deceiving. Listen to The Evolution Of Robin Thicke without looking at the cover and you'd swear he wasn't white, but it takes more than a soulful voice to make a good soul record. This is this second album, having built up his reputation more as a writer/producer than a performer, having written for the likes of Usher, Christina Aguilera, Mya, Brandy and Michael Jackson. His first album A Beautiful World is only really notable for featuring his lovely wife Paula Patton (tastefully) naked on the front cover, though you have to question what kind of person would use such a photo to promote their music. However, he has hit serious paydirt with The Evolution, selling well over a million copies since it came out last year, and spawning a few hit singles, most notably Wanna Love U Girl, which - as is the law nowadays - features Pharrell. As previously noted, Thicke has got a silky smooth voice, and he's clearly capable of pulling off slick R'n'B ballads, but the problem with The Evolution is that there's pretty much nothing else to it, just the same pace, the same lyrical subject matter, the same SONG over and over again. After a couple of tracks it gets dull, by the time to get to Pharrell's guest appearance on track 10 you're pretty much ready to end it all. And there's still six more after that (seven if you count the bonus track)...