Jesus Says: Celebrate Ash Wednesday with the best songs by the Northern Irish rock band

Today is Ash Wednesday, which we're told has something to do with religion. Here at Vanyaland, we worship at the altar of music, so we're celebrating the day by rounding up some of our favorite songs by Ash. The Northern Ireland trio blasted out from a pack of Britpop brats in the mid-'90s to create some of the best power-pop records of the past twenty years, extending their impressive career with last year's Kablammo!, which included the boisterous single "Cocoon".

In honor of Ash Wednesday, we polled the Vanyaland staff for their favorite Ash songs, and below is a sampling of the band's preferred work (at least by us, anyway). Use the slider to scan through our selections, and catch up with all things Ash with our June 2015 interview with frontman Tim Wheeler.

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“Walking Barefoot” from the 2001 album Free All Angels

Free All Angels, the third album from Ash, is rife with themes of nostalgia and longing — look no further than “Sometimes” and “Someday” for examples. But it’s “Walking Barefoot” which stands out the most, focusing on the always welcome idea of the endless summer and all that comes with it; a springtime fling that blossoms as the days grow longer, being broke but carefree under the blazing sun and how to make it never-ending. “Why can’t we just decide/To live like this all the time?” Tim Wheeler laments about the inevitable conclusion of the season, and you just have to agree with the guy’s logic. –Michael Christopher

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