Review Summary: An underrated album that unfortunately paid the price for its uncommercial sound.
It is fairly well known that a bands second album is among their toughest releases. How many bands have exploded onto various music scenes with promising, brilliant and successful debut albums, only to fade from the map as early as their follow-up? Admittedly this is often because these second offerings aren’t as good as their predecessors, but there is more than one meaning behind the term ‘difficult second album.’ Ash’s second full length,
Nu-Clear Sounds is a prime example of this.
After releasing mini-album
Trailer to little attention, the Northern Irish trio invaded the UK Charts with a succession of excellent singles and a number one debut full length, entitled
1977. A follow-up was always going to be a difficult task, but with
Nu-Clear Sounds, released two years later, Ash produced a very solid successor to their critically acclaimed first. It wasn’t quite so well received by either critics nor fans, but overall received a warm reception. The sales however were not so handsome, with neither the LP nor its singles making anywhere near the impact as 1977 and its promos. This left Ash in turmoil, and ultimately on the edge of bankruptcy. It was an album that nearly ended the the band, and would have done had it not been for its successful successor
Free All Angels.
Nu-Clear Sounds main weakness is that it contains too many slower songs – almost half of the tracks are ballads. None of these songs are bad, in fact most of them are great, but their numbers mean that some sections of the album can become boring if you aren’t in the right mood. Another problem is that there aren’t really any truly brilliant songs, where as there were three or four on
1977. The closest you’ll come is probably on the two singles,
Jesus Says and
Wildsurf, but neither of these come close to glorious moments such as
Girl From Mars. This is probably why
Nu-Clear Sounds failed commercially, as their debut’s success was largely on the back of a string of terrific singles.
The album makes up for these shortcomings, however, in its overall consistency. Although there aren’t any brilliant songs on offer, none are poor in the slightest. The slower songs are all well written, with pleasant melodies and good performances throughout, especially from Tim Wheeler, who delivers a good vocal despite having a limiting voice. The louder songs are more reminiscent of Ash’s early material, especially
Wildsurf, with its upbeat nature and anthemic chorus.
Death Trip 21 on the other hand is more experimental, with almost rapped vocals and a far more aggressive tone. They haven’t done anything quite like this since, but it is nevertheless a successful experiment.
The general feel of the album is far darker than that of their previous work. This is largely down to the motivational and personal difficulties the band was going through at the time, having just completed a grueling tour in support of
1977 that drained them both physically and emotionally. The albums darker mood can also be put down to the increased grunge influence that is evident, largely replacing the pop punk elements in abundance on their debut. Grunge never was the most cheery of genres, being characterised by a generally downbeat sound that can at times make for heavy listening. This influence is particularly apparent in the more up tempo songs, with the sludgy bass and fuzzy guitars combining to create a sound not dissimilar to the likes of Mudhoney.
This darker edge generally favours the band, as it gives some of the songs an emotional edge you feel they may lack without it. However, they would probably be even better had they made use of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley. This was Ash’s first album with Hatherley, but instead of using her to enhance their sound they seem to undervalue her. In fact, her presence on this album is barely noticeable. On later albums, her backing vocals work in excellent harmony with Wheeler’s, and her guitar parts add more depth to the songs. Here, however, there are no backing vocals, which can reveal Wheeler’s limited vocal capabilities, and here guitar parts are extremely hard to notice throughout. Although this doesn’t spoil the album, it means that has a more challenging sound, far from the accessible pop rock of it’s predecessor and what was to come later.
Unfortunately, it is this that has led to
Nu-Clear Sounds often undeservedly being cast into sales and bargain bins nowadays. The fact that it’s the bands least celebrated release could turn you off, but it’s a solid album, and a worthy addition to Ash’s catalogue. It’s not their best, but for any fan of alternative, indie or just plain rock, this album is well worth the small price you can probably get it for.
Recommended Tracks
Wildsurf
Fortune Teller
Jesus Says
I’m Gonna Fall
Projects
