Album Details

• Artist: Ash Gray And The Girls
• Album: This Could Be A Wild Night
• Label:
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: toddlevinsonfrank on 2010-02-24

ASH Grey and Girls new album This Could Be a Wild Night is chock-full of what you might call modern retro cool. Or maybe I'd call it that. You know what I mean.

It's modern, but it's certainly retro from the standpoint that most tracks wear some obvious influences on their sleeve. But even if one were to dismiss this as simple pastiche, it's well done and to decent effect.

This Could Be a Wild Night starts with "Your Gun Is Out," which comes off loosely like a Strokes-meets-TingTings track, while somehow not really sounding like either of those groups. "Wild Night" doesn't seem like a great choice for the track 2 slot as it's a bit sluggish. It's catchy, but in a pop-by-numbers sort of way.

"Rules" creeps in cleverly with plenty of style and a sexy walk but suffers slightly from a sub-par chorus. The next track, "Never Said I Love You" finds the band in Brian Jonestown Massacre territory, which is a good thing.

"Rock'n'Roll Record" climbs into the way-back machine and takes us from the rockabilly drive of 50's-style rock to an early Who sound mixed with a Joan Jett-style retro-60's sound. The aptly-titled "Sunny Day" is a little ditty and, while it may shine its light on plenty of familiar sounds and styles from the past, it's very well executed and perhaps the most enjoyable listen out of the bunch.

The album closes with "Fire Away." After all the name-checking comparisons littered in this review, this last one will seem odd. It reminds me of a forgettable fast tune that would sound at home on a post-peak album from John Cougar Mellencamp. Yea, weird.

Regardless of the (possibly unfair and not entirely accurate) comparisons contained here, and despite some occasionally over-processed/compressed and sterile tracks, This Could Be a Wild Night is still pretty good and at 7 tracks makes for a concise listen that doesn't wear out its welcome. And influences-be-damned, it somehow comes off as an original.

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