Nu-Clear Sounds
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Nu-Clear Sounds'' is the second studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 5 October 1998, through Infectious Records and Home Grown. Following the release of the band's debut studio album, ''
1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
'' (1996), guitarist Charlotte Hatherley became a member. They wrote new material at a farmhouse, before going to Wales to record their next album at Rockfield Studios. With additional sessions held at the Astoria in London, Ash produced the proceedings alongside Chris Kimsey and Owen Morris. A
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
record, the
New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...
,
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
and
the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...
inspired the album. Preceded by ''Nu-Clear Sounds''
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
" Jesus Says" in September 1998, the band toured the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe until the end of the year. " Wildsurf" was released as the second single partway through the European segment in November. In early 1999, Ash played shows in New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Following this, they performed a handful of shows in the United States and the UK, before appearing at the
Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
. The album was released in the US in September 1999; it featured an alternate track listing and three remixes by
Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, record producer, and songwriter who is the drummer and co-producer of the rock band Garbage. Producer of the diamond selling Nirvana album ''Nevermind'' (1991), Vig also pro ...
of songs. A supporting US tour was planned throughout October, however, it was cut short.
Music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
gave ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' generally positive reviews; some complimented the musicianship, while others found it inconsistent. The album peaked at number seven in the UK, alongside reaching the top 50 in Australia, Norway and Scotland. It was certified gold in the UK by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI). "Jesus Says", "Wildsurf" and " Numbskull" reached the Irish top 10, while the first two charted in the UK top 20.


Background

Ash released their debut studio album ''
1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
'' in May 1996. With its release, frontman Tim Wheeler left school to tour the album for a year and a half. Suffering from
writer's block Writer's block is a non-medical condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Writer's block has various degrees of severity, from difficulty in coming ...
, he was unable to write new material while touring. Wheeler wanted to explore more of the darker but melodic nature of " Goldfinger", a track from ''1977''. As Ash were supporting
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...
on their US tour, Wheeler became interested in the interplay between Rivers Cuomo and
Brian Bell Brian Lane Bell (born December 9, 1968) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band Weezer, with whom he has ...
; he dreamt of having another member who could play certain parts while he simply sang. Nightnurse guitarist Charlotte Hatherley joined Ash temporarily, after learning the band wanted another guitarist,Mathur 1998 in August 1997.Thompson 2000, p. 162 She had previously met Wheeler when Ash and Nightnurse shared a rehearsal room in London, and liked their singles. Hatherley made her recording debut as part of Ash with the release of " A Life Less Ordinary", taken from the film of the same name, in October 1997. It was the first song they had written since the making of ''1977'' over a year before. Impressed by her contribution to the band, she became an official member. They felt pressed to follow-up the success of ''1977'' while also evolving themselves. Ash wanted to break free from the pigeonholing they experienced; in Germany, the band was marketed similar to a
boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
, while in Australia, ''1977'' was released with postcards of each member, both of which Wheeler disliked. According to Wheeler, in an attempt to be seen as more serious artists they wanted to make "a more abrasive record" but "be as successful as before and keep it going". Wheeler said they were "psychologically damaged" from the ''1977'' cycle, resulting in the members being on separate wavelengths. He was becoming aware that contemporary acts of theirs were making darker-sounding music, listing off
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
and
Unkle Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...
. They spent a few months at Stambridge Farm, which had been turned into a residential writing studio, coming up with several new tracks and working on developing their sound. Wheeler had his own cottage detached from the main house where the rest of the band stayed to deal with his writer's block.


Recording and production

Ash recorded ''Nu Clear Sounds'' at Rockfield Studios in Wales during early and mid-1998. The band, Chris Kimsey and Owen Morris produced the sessions, with David Nicholas handling recording. Nick Brine, Sorrel Merchant and Damon Iddins did additional engineering. The band had an argument with Morris before making "A Life Less Ordinary" and had begun recording ''Nu Clear Sounds'' with Kimsey for two weeks. They recorded nearly all the album, except one track, live in the studio. Ash had previously built tracks by laying each instrument separately; Wheeler said the live aspect "as a band sort of worked a lot better". In between sessions, the band played three UK shows and several European festivals. Mixing was done at the Astoria in London. Kimsey was trying to drive a wedge between the band during the mixing; they were unhappy with how some of the tracks sounded and sought to involve Morris. Morris and Ash mixed the recordings; Morris completely remixed "Death Trip 21" over the course of a weekend while the band played shows. He also altered Kimsey's arrangements of "Low Ebb" and "I'm Gonna Fall", alongside adding "more darkness and intimacy" to "Aphrodite". Additional recording was done at the Astoria. Mike Marsh mastered the recordings.


Music and lyrics

Musically, the sound of ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' has been described as
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
. Drummer Rick McMurray said the
New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...
,
the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...
and
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
circa '' Sticky Fingers'' (1971) inspired the album. Wheeler wrote the lyrics for all the tracks, except for " Wildsurf", which he co-wrote with Hatherley. He wrote the music for most of the tracks, with the exception of "Projects" (co-written by bassist Mark Hamilton and Hatherley), " Jesus Says" (written solely by Hamilton), "Death Trip 21" (co-written by Wheeler and Hamilton), " Numbskull" (written solely by Hamilton) and "I'm Gonna Fall" (co-written by Wheeler and Hamilton). Discussing her vocals throughout the album, Hatherley said she was "drinking a lot and wasn’t focused on singing at all. I was just singing backing vocals and trying my best to get away with it". ''Consumable Online'' writer Robin Lapid felt that Hatherley brought "plenty of glam-punk, heavy-artillery riffage" into the band's sound. ''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". Nearly every song on the album has what Hamilton referred to as "searing atmospherics", which he said reflected their state of mind. The ballads marked a shift from the
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
-like tracks Ash were known for, showcasing the burn out they were going through, while the harder tracks were "a mixture of frustration". In a 2004 interview, Wheeler remaked, "That was a hazy time when we didn't really know what we were doing. ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' captures that well: one half consists of schizophrenic, crazy noise rock and the other half with only gloomy ballads". Hossam Ramzy and Dave Larkin contributed percussion; Wil Malone arranged the strings. The opening
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
track "Projects" uses
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
-influenced guitar riffs. It starts off with the sounds of strings and a bleep noise from
R2-D2 R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date, including every film in the " Skywalker Saga", which inclu ...
, a character from ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' (1977). 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 The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
. The
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment "Jesus Says" discusses the pressure of a job promotion and using alcohol to deal with it. The song evokes the sound of both
the Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...
and the New York Dolls, while it heavily features percussion instrumentation, courtesy of Ramsey. The
Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...
-styled "Wildsurf" was one of the first tracks written for ''Nu-Clear Sounds''. The song was described by Hamilton as most reminiscent of the material on ''1977'' and features a guitar solo by Hatherley, which was edited down for the final version. "Death Trip 21" sounds like a mix between
the Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in Manchester in 1992. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. Originally known as The Dust Brothers, th ...
and
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
, and tells the story of a dead drug dealer. It features turntable scratching, courtesy of Dick Kurtaine. The down-tempo "Folk Song" includes elements reminiscent of New Order and talks about lost innocence. The Pixies-indebted "Numbskull" opens with Wheeler screaming in a similar vein to
Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, comedian, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1 ...
, and features turntable scratching. Hamilton wrote the music while on a sofa in the studio control room. "Burn Out" employs a 1960s-like vocal melody in the style of
Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...
. "Aphrodite" comes across as a rock version of the Ronettes. With "Fortune Teller", Wheeler evokes
the Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...
frontman
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
. Ash said it was the "sound of us just blowing away all the bullshit we’d been dealing with and just going for it". The closing track, "I'm Gonna Fall", features strings that Morris sent through a Fender amplifier with added
distortion In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...
, making them become inaudible.


Release and promotion

On 14 July 1998, ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' was announced for release in three months' time. The following month, Ash played a few festivals in mainland Europe and appeared at the
Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...
. After a premier on BBC Radio 1, "Jesus Says" was released as the album's
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
on 21 September 1998. Two versions were released on CD: one with "Taken Out" and "Heroin, Vodka, White Noise", while the other included "Radiation" and "Dancing on the Moon". The music video for "Jesus Says" sees the band perform in an atic as the camera swivels 360-degrees. In October and early November 1998, the band embarked on a tour of the United Kingdom. ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' was released on 5 October. The Australian version featured "Radiation" and "Dancing on the Moon", while the European edition featured "Taken Out". The Japanese version included "Taken Out" and "A Life Less Ordinary". In the United States, Ash had been on
Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...
, 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. From mid-November to late December 1998, Ash embarked on a European tour. Idlewild and the Chicks appeared on the first handful of shows, while Carrie appeared on the rest of the dates. "Wildsurf" was released as the second single from ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' on 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". The music video for "Wildsurf" shows the band performing in front of an assortment of TV screens, cut with footage of a woman exploring buildings and hallways. The band closed the year with two shows in their home country of Ireland. In January 1999, the band appeared at
Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typi ...
in New Zealand and Australia, before embarking on a Japanese tour the following month. Ash played a benefit show for the Campaign for a Living Wage charity in mid-April 1999, preceded by three warm-up shows. The ''Numbskull EP'' was released on 26 April, with covers of "Who You Drivin' Now" by
Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River (band), Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner (guitari ...
and "Blew" by Nirvana, along with live versions of "Jesus Says", "Girl from Mars" and "Fortune Teller". The music video for "Numbskull" premiered for '' The Jo Whiley Show'' on 5 May 1999. Directed by Darran Tiernan, the video features people having sex in a hotel room, amidst blood and drugs and a naked Wheeler. Author Dave Thompson wrote in his book ''Alternative Rock'' (2000) that these depictions got the video banned by TV broadcasters across Europe. In June 1999, the band played a few showcase shows in the US and three UK shows, leading up to a performance at the
Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
. Ash played a few European festivals and a show in Ireland in September. After originally being scheduled for release in June and then in August, ''Nu-Clear Sounds'', which included the bonus track "A Life Less Ordinary", was eventually released in the US on 28 September 1999 through
DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Mo Ostin, his son Michael Ostin and Lenny Waronker as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label opera ...
.
Garbage Garbage, trash (American English), rubbish (British English), or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or ...
drummer
Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, record producer, and songwriter who is the drummer and co-producer of the rock band Garbage. Producer of the diamond selling Nirvana album ''Nevermind'' (1991), Vig also pro ...
re-sequenced the order of the songs and remixed "Jesus Says", "Wildsurf" and "Folk Song" for the release. Vig got involved after he had approached the band; he was found of the album and played it every night before Garbage went on stage. They planned to promote it with a US tour in October, however, the A&R person at DreamWorks left, resulting in the tour being shortened to three shows. Ash's first
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
'' Intergalactic Sonic 7″s'' (2003) included "Jesus Says", "Wildsurf" and "Numbskull". Their second compilation album '' The Best of Ash'' (2011) included "Wildsurf". "Jesus Says", "Wildsurf", and "Numbskull" were released on
7" vinyl In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...
as part of ''94–'04 The 7" Singles Box Set'' (2019). The band's third compilation album ''Teenage Wildlife: 25 Years of Ash'' (2020) included "Projects", "Jesus Says" and "Wildsurf". BMG released ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' on CD in 2019.


Reception

''Nu-Clear Sounds'' was met with generally positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
reviewer Jason Ankeny said that while the album "lacks the immediate appeal" of ''1977'', "over the course of repeated listens it emerges as the group's most bracing effort to date". He further wrote that Hatherley "galvanizes  ... Wheeler's songs, giving them a dimension and scope they previously lacked". Sylvia Patterson of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' noted two of the songs are "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".
Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
's Russell Hall wrote the album sees Ash "building upon the joyous abandon and hook-laden melodies" that exemplified their debut. Thompson praised the band for refining their sound while at the same time including elements of other genres to make a "new clear sound of explosive power." '' 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".Botchick 1999, p. 3 ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' contributor Brent DiCrescenzo found ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' delivered "simple pleasures, with occasional punch and constant nostalgic sincerity". Alexandra Flood of
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
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 is "enough good stuff here at least to make you crave a crumpet". ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' writer Kevin Courtney said Ash "are not really an albums band", adding 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". Buffo Schnadelbach of '' Rock Hard'' wrote that the band 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". ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' Rob Bolton said that as Ash get older, "they also seem to be bidding farewell to a lot of the sizzle that they are capable of". He went on to say, "Nu-Clear Sounds is somewhat disjointed ... lack ngthe consistency of their outstanding prior release". ''Nu-Clear Sounds'' entered the charts at number seven in the UK and number eight in Scotland. The album was later certified gold in the UK by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) for selling 100,000 copies. Outside these territories, it reached number 37 in Norway, number 44 in Australia and number 86 in Germany. "Jesus Says" charted at number nine in Ireland, alongside reaching number 15 in the UK. "Wildsurf" charted at number seven in Ireland, while it peaked at number 31 in the UK. "Numbskull" charted at number eight in Ireland. In a 2022 interview, when asked about the album's lack of success, Hatherley theorised that it was "down to the singles", explaining that it lacked the "big singalong" songs such as "Girl from Mars" or "Goldfinger".


Track listing

Writing credits per booklet. All recordings produced by Ash, Chris Kimsey, and Owen Morris.


Personnel

Personnel per booklet. Ash * Tim Wheeler – guitar, vocals * Mark Hamilton – bass * Rick McMurray – drums * Charlotte Hatherley – guitar, vocals Additional musicians * Dick Kurtaine – DJ * Hossam Ramzy – percussion * Dave Larkin – percussion * Mel Wesson – additional programming (track 6) * Wil Malone – string arrangements Production * Ash – producer, mixing * Chris Kimsey – producer * Owen Morris – producer, mixing * David Nicholas – recording * Nick Brine – additional engineering * Sorrel Merchant – additional engineering * Damon Iddins – additional engineering * Mike Marsh – mastering * Grant Fear – photography


Charts and certifications


Weekly charts


Certifications


References

Citations Sources * * * * *


External links


''Nu-Clear Sounds''
at
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
(streamed copy where licensed) {{Authority control Ash (band) albums 1998 albums Albums produced by Chris Kimsey Albums produced by Owen Morris Infectious Records albums