Nu-Clear Sounds

Ash released their debut studio album, 1977, in May 1996.[1] With its release, frontman Tim Wheeler had left school to tour the album for a year and a half. He was unable to write new material while touring, resulting in writer's block. As Ash were supporting Weezer on their US tour, Wheeler became interested in the interplay between Rivers Cuomo and Brian Bell, and dreamt of having another that could play certain parts while he simply sang.[2] Nightnurse guitarist Charlotte Hatherley joined Ash on a temporary basis, after learning through a friend of a friend that the band wanted another guitarist.[3]

Hatherley made her recording debut with the band with the release of "A Life Less Ordinary", take from the film of the same name, in October 1997.[4] It was the first song the band had written since the making of 1977 over a year prior.[5] Impressed by her contribution to the band, she became an official member.[3] They felt pressed to follow-up the success of 1977, while also evolving themselves. Ash wanted to break free from the pop scene they were pigeonholed in; in Germany, the band was marketed similar to a boy band, while in Australia, their 1977 was released with postcards of each member, both of which Wheeler disliked.[2]

In an attempt to be seen as more serious artists, they wanted to make "a more abrasive record," while "also want[ing] to be as successful as before and keep it going", according to Wheeler.[2] Wheeler said they were "psychologically damaged" from the 1977 cycle, leaving him, bassist Mark Hamilton, and drummer Rick McMurray on a separate wavelength from Hatherley.[6] They spent a few months at Stambridge Farm, which had been turned into a residential writing studio, coming up with several new tracks and worked on developing their sound.[7][8][9] Wheeler had his own cottage detached from the main house, where the rest of the band stayed, to deal with his writer's block.[10]

Ash recorded Nu Clear Sounds at Rockfield Studios in Wales during early-and-mid 1998. The sessions were produced by the band, Chris Kimsey and Owen Morris, with David Nicholas handling recording. Nick Brine, Sorrel Merchant and Damon Iddins did additional engineering.[11] The band had previously had an argument with Morris prior to the making of "A Life Less Ordinary", and initially started recording Nu Clear Sounds with Kimsey for two weeks.[12][13][14] They recorded nearly all of the album, bar one track, live-in-the-studio. They previously built tracks through laying each instrument separately; Wheeler said the live aspect "as a band sort of worked a lot better".[7]

In between sessions, the band three UK shows and several Europe festivals.[15] Mixing was held at the Astoria, a boat that was refurbished into a recording studio.[16] Kimsey was trying to drive a wedge between the band during the mixing; they weren't happy with how some of the tracks were sounding, and sought to involve Morris.[17] Morris and the band mixed the recordings; Morris had completely remixed "Death Trip 21" over the course of a weekend while the band was playing shows.[11][18] He also altered Kimsey's arrangements of "Low Ebb" and "I'm Gonna Fall, and added "more darkness and intimacy" to "Aphrodite".[19][20][21] Additional recording was done at the Astoria. The recordings were then mastered by Mike Marsh.[11]

Musically, the sound of Nu-Clear Sounds has been described as garage rock.[22] McMurray said the album was inspired by the New York Dolls, the Velvet Underground, and the Rolling Stones circa Sticky Fingers (1971).[23] Wheeler wrote the lyrics to all of the tracks, except for "Wildsurf", which he co-wrote with Hatherley. Similarly, Wheeler wrote the music to most of the tracks, except for "Projects" (co-written between Hamilton and Hatherley), "Jesus Says" (written solely by Hamilton), "Death Trip 21" (co-written between Wheeler and Hamilton), "Numbskull" (written solely by Hamilton), and "I'm Gonna Fall" (co-written between Wheeler and Hamilton).[11]

Nu-Clear Sounds is dominated by either harder-sounding songs – namely "Projects", "Jesus Says", "Numberskull", and "Fortune Teller" – or ballads, such as "Low Ebb", "Folk Song", "Burn Out", "Aphrodite", and "I'm Gonna Fall".[24] Nearly ever song on the album had what Hamilton referred to as "searing atmospherics", which he said reflected their state of mind.[25] The ballads marked a shift from the punk rock-like tracks that the band were known for, showcasing the burn out they were going through, while the harder tracks were "a mixture of frustration on [the] more aggressive side".[26] Hossam Ramzy and Dave Larkin contributed percussion; Wil Malone arranged the strings.

The opening metal track "Projects" utilizes Nirvana-influenced guitar riffs.[27][28] It starts off with the sound of strings, and a bleep noise from R2-D2, a character from Star Wars.[29] The bass part and Hatherley's guitar parts conflict with each other rhythmically; the track was initially called "Pickefoo", alluding to the bands Pixies and the Foo Fighters.[30][31] The Oasis-esque ballad "Low Ebb" talks about despair and hope, relating to the pressure that Wheeler was feeling with his writer's block.[28][32] "Jesus Says" discusses the pressure of a job promotion, and using alcohol to deal with it.[33] The song evokes the sound of the Jesus and Mary Chain and the New York Dolls, and utilizes a lot of percussion instrumentation, courtesy of Ramsey.[27][34][35] The Beach Boys-styled "Wildsurf" was one of the first tracks written for the album.[27][36] The song was most reminiscent of the material on 1977, and featured a guitar solo from Hatherley, which was edited down for the final version.[37][38]

"Death Trip 21" comes across as a mix between the Chemical Brothers and Metallica, and tells the story of a dead drug dealer.[27][39] It features turntable scratching, courtesy of Dick Kurtaine.[40] The down-tempo "Folk Song" includes elements of New Order, and talks about lost innocence.[34][41][42] The Pixies-indebted "Numbskull" opens with Wheeler screaming in a similar vein to Henry Rollins, and also features turntable scratching from Kurtaine.[27][34][43] Hamilton wrote the music while on a sofa in the studio control room.[44] "Burn Out" employed a 1960s-like vocal melody in style of Phil Spector.[43] "Aphrodite" came across as a rock version of the Ronettes. With "Fortune Teller", Wheeler evokes the Stooges frontman Iggy Pop.[34] The band said it was the "sound of us just blowing away all the bullshit we’d been dealing with and just going for it."[45] The closing track "I'm Gonna Fall" featured strings that Morris sent through a Fender amplifier with added distortion, making them become inaudible.[46]

On 14 July 1998, Nu-Clear Sounds was announced for release in three months' time.[47] The following month, Ash played a few European festivals, and appeared at Reading Festival.[15] After a premier on BBC Radio 1, "Jesus Says" was released as the lead single on 21 September 1998.[47][48] Two versions were released on CD: one with "Taken Out" and "Heroin, Vodka, White Noise", and the other with "Radiation" and "Dancing on the Moon".[48] In October and early November, the band embarked on a tour of the UK.[15] Later that month, Nu-Clear Sounds was released on 5 October.[47] The Australian version featured "Radiation" and "Dancing on the Moon", while the European edition featured "Taken Out".[48] The Japanese version included "Taken Out" and "A Life Less Ordinary".[49] In the United States, the band had previously been on Reprise Records, who released 1977 in that territory; for Nu-Clear Sounds, the band ran into issues with Reprise's owner Warner Bros. Records, delaying the album's US release.[50][51]

From mid November to late December 1998, the band embarked on a Europe tour. Idlewild and the Chicks appeared on the first handful of shows, while Carrie appeared on the remainder of the dates.[15] "Wildsurf" was released as the second single 23 November. Two versions were released on CD: one with "Stormy Waters" and "When I'm Tired", and the other with "Lose Control" and "Gonna Do It Soon".[48] The band closed the year with two shows in their home country of Ireland.[15] In January 1999, the band appeared at Big Day Out in New Zealand and Australia, before embarking on a Japanese tour in the following month.[52] The band played a benefit show for the Campaign for a Living Wage charity in mid-April 1999, which was preceded by three warm-up shows.[52][53] The Numbskull EP was released as a single on 26 April, with covers of "Who You Drivin' Now (by Mudhoney) and "Blew" (by Nirvana), alongside live versions of "Jesus Says", "Girl from Mars" and "Fortune Teller".[48][53]

The music video for "Numbskull" premiered on The Jo Whiley Show on 5 May.[47] Directed by Darran Tiernan, the video features people having sex in a hotel room, amidst blood and drugs, and Wheeler being naked.[28][54] In June, the band played a few showcase shows in the US, and three UK shows, leading up to a performance at the Glastonbury Festival.[50][52] The band played a few European festivals, and a show in Ireland in September.[52] After originally being scheduled for release in June, and then in August, Nu-Clear Sounds was eventually released in the US on 28 September through DreamWorks Records, which included the bonus track "A Life Less Ordinary".[28][50][47] Garbage drummer Butch Vig re-sequenced the order of the songs, and remixed "Jesus Says", "Wildsurf", and "Folk Song" for the release.[50][55] Vig got involved as he approached the band; he had liked the album previously, and would played it every night before Garbage went on stage.[56] It was planned to be promoted with a US tour in October, however, the A&R person at DreamWorks left, resulting in the tour being shortened to three shows.[28][57]

"Jesus Says", "Wildsurf", and "Numbskull" were included on the band's first compilation album Intergalactic Sonic 7″s (2003).[58] "Wildsurf" was included on their second compilation album The Best of Ash (2011).[59] "Jesus Says", "Wildsurf", and "Numbskull" were released on 7" vinyl as part of '94–'04 The 7" Singles Box Set (2019).[60] "Projects", "Jesus Says", and "Wildsurf" were included on the band's third compilation album Teenage Wildlife: 25 Years of Ash (2020).[61] Nu-Clear Sounds was reissued on CD through BMG in 2019.[62]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[63]
CMJ New Music Report	Favorable[28]
Exclaim!	Unfavourable[41]
The Irish Times	Favourable[27]
MTV	Favorable[39]
NME	8/10[34]
The Observer	Unfavourable[64]
Pitchfork	6.9/10[65]
Rock Hard	6/10[24]
Wall of Sound	80/100[43]

Nu-Clear Sounds was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic review Jason Ankeny said that while the album "lacks the immediate appeal" of Ash's debut, "over the course of repeated listens it emerges as the group's most bracing effort to date". Hatherley "galvanizes ... Wheeler's songs, giving them a dimension and scope they previously lacked".[63] Sylvia Patterson of NME noted that two of the songs were "completely unlistenable to anyone over the age of 15", which "only serve to make 'Nu-Clear Sounds' the very first 'mainstream' rock'n'roll record of 1998 to do its job properly."[34] Wall of Sound's Russell Hall wrote that the album saw the band "building upon the joyous abandon and hook-laden melodies" that exemplified their debut.[43] CMJ New Music Report writer Cherly Botchick said the band provided "its tunes with the kind of pop star impudence that only the English can pull off with such magnetic results".[28]

Pitchfork contributor Brent DiCrescenzo found the album to deliver "simple pleasures, with occasional punch and constant nostalgic sincerity.".[65] Alexandra Flood of MTV said that while it "may not be the album that's going to get you to rehang your Union Jack or regrow your sideburns," there was "enough good stuff here at least to make you crave a crumpet."[39] The Irish Times writer Kevin Courtney said the band "are not really an albums band", adding that they "handle the heavyweight artillery with consummate ease, but it's the gentle, almost dippy ballads ... which gives Nu-Clear Sounds its heart of gold."[27] Buffo Schnadelbach of Rock Hard wrote that the band were "are far from out of their infancy, they also seem to have matured a little", offering "a whole series of hard-core tracks", alongside "sugar-sweet, mostly flat ballads" that the "fearful metal crowd" might find to "cause nausea, diarrhea or incontinence."[24] Exclaim!'s Rob Bolton said that as the band got older, "they also seem to be bidding farewell to a lot of the sizzle that they are capable of." He went on further to say, "Nu-Clear Sounds is somewhat disjointed ... lack[ing] the consistency of their outstanding prior release".[41]

Nu-Clear Sounds entered the charts at number 7 in the UK,[66] and number 8 in Scotland.[67] Outside of these territories, it reached number 37 in Norway,[68] number 44 in Australia,[69] and number 86 in Germany,[70] The album was later certified gold in the UK.[71] "Jesus Says" charted at number 9 in Ireland, and number 15 in the UK. "Wildsurf" charted at number 7 in Ireland, and number 31 in the UK. "Numbskull" charted at number 8 in Ireland.[66][72]

Writing credits per booklet.[11]

Personnel per booklet.[11]

Citations

Sources