People worried Tim's statement that Twilight of the Innocents is the band's last album was a worst-case scenario: the end of Ash, but that's not the case at all. He meant it -- but the band just plans to explore new ways to release music.
Speaking to the NME, Tim said:
When you're tied to the album format, you find yourself waiting six months between finishing a record and releasing it. By leaving this behind we can enter a new phase of spontaneity and creativity. We have our own studio in New York, we can record a track and release it the next day if we feel like it, give it to people while it's fresh. We're the first band to do this, but I very much doubt we'll be the last.
Good! That's forward-thinking. I hate waiting around for albums I know are done, and ready to go, and I've always had the feeling bands hate waiting for fans to hear and appreciate the new music. [Axl Rose officially not included in that feeling.]
Tim also said:
We've been one of the best singles bands of the last two decades and we're still younger than a lot of bands on the current scene. I'm excited to push this claim further by dedicating ourselves wholly to the art of the single for the digital age.
And hey, there's no reason why they can't bunch up these singles and release them on a compilation CD, if there's any reason to do such a thing, down the line. Tim says he thinks Twilight of the Innocents is the pinnacle of the band's work to date, and he feels it's time for them to try new things and take chances.
So Ash fans, rest easy. The band isn't going anywhere; actually, they're just going to get more music into your hands faster. And that's exciting.
Twilight of the Innocents hits stores July 2nd... which seems terribly far off, considering how long ago they wrapped it up. And is precisely Tim's point.
