Ash Is A Robot
Sympathetic Vibration

So they say that Ash is a Robot – no shit Sherlock as some say. I think each and everyone who has any kind of knowledge about popular culture will know the reference from which this band has taken its name. This is the Portuguese band’s second release following a self titled album a few years back, this one is an EP and it doesn’t really show for the most interesting artwork I have ever seen. It is also an EP consisting of mainly acoustic tracks – five sixths of the album to be exact.

Some say that it is post-hardcore, it is quite catchy and not very heavy and that is about both the first track which is not acoustic and the acoustic tracks. Not too much variation over the tracks, easy to take in and I believe it will probably appeal to a very wide audience, as it is a catchy and fairly inoffensive album. It is well produced and shows skilled song writing as well as musical knowledge within this kind of music and I doubt that they will ever scare any potential listener away with what they do – although one can always fear that in doing music that can potentially please a wide audience they also lack that edge we find in the best albums.

And I think that is a well-founded fear as it is an EP that will first please a lot and then become a tad tedious when you have heard it a lot. I like this EP quite a bit, the songs are good and I like them but at the same time it is quite nice to put it away now. Maybe it should have bit more dynamics and depth but it will probably appeal to many, it is kind of like a musical version of the Shawshank Redemption everyone thinks it is good but none really likes it – it lacks the edge that makes a good album great.

The opening track Sleep Paralysis is the sharpest one of the six tracks on this album, the rest of the tracks are quite good as well but having heard this EP a few times now I cannot shake the feeling that it lacks that final edge that would turn the album from the good to great. I think this band seems to be able to make great music but they try to please too many and seem to have forgotten that great music can’t please everyone.

HHHHHHH