Ash Mammal are outcasts. They are pure. Honest. Troubled. Visceral, different, conceptual, emotional and passionate. We could write enthusiastically about almost each and every song on The Ghost We Caught On
Film. However, to us, the concept of this album has to be captured as a whole. After a first listen, you realise that the abundance of musical ideas, instruments and colours are a support system, used to portray a simple motif: channeling emotions.
What is striking about Ash Mammal’ s second outing is their great ability to create an atmosphere. You never really know what is coming next. There is a gloomy but reassuring sound coming out of these guitars. By studying music, using complex structures and different dynamics, the band manage to take us on a musical journey. And sometimes, by surrounding the heaviest parts of these songs with delicate instrumentals, the harshness is that much more apparent. By doing so, they are exuding a much stronger sense of insight and creativity, yes of course breaking the soulless manufacturing of the Indie machine, but more importantly channeling their emotions wonderfully. The band hail from Leicester, where they learned how to play their instrument together, growing and developing their own style. It’ s maybe why Ash Mammal have got this‘ higher’ connection with one another and makes them feel like a‘ real band’ in the good old fashion sense of it all. This is reflected in the music, and continues in the new sounds... To the new Ash Mammal then, The Ghost We Caught On Film is still very exciting, but the tone has shifted considerably. The best moments here are incredible. The band find new and different highs, using cello and horns for instance. A new aspect is also introduced from the recording studio: « Naturally, there’ s less performance magic in the studio, but that leaves space for actual technical proficiency and intricate stuff that wouldn’ t work on the tapes...»
With this release it remains clear that Ash Mammal retain a healthy resistance to clarity; their music is a maze of signs you can peer into any way you like. The studio has added to this. Even so, the impact of trauma, a sort of car crash of the soul, is palpable. The song titles Death At First Light; Fresh Veined Skin; Bigger Than Death might sound grim but the band’ s second outing screams more frustration and more importantly a frustration which has shaped this record. An infectious record.