WHERE HAVE I GONE AND LANDED TONIGHT (Nu Clear Sounds - Ash)

Member Name: C_Padd

Product:	Nu Clear Sounds - Ash
Date:	08/11/01 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some good tracks, Still good music to the rest of the stuff out there

Disadvantages: Some very average tracks, Average at best album

Many of you will have heard of Ash, they have been releasing singles off their latest masterpiece ‘Free all Angles’ for some time. ‘Nu-Clear Sounds’ was their second album, released before ‘Free all Angles’. Frankly it had a lot to live up to Ash’s first release ‘1977’ was a classic, and established them as one of the hottest prospects around on the music scene. The only problem was ‘Nu-Clear Sounds’ just did not live up to what it should have done.

That is not to say this is a bad album, it just did not get close to the high standards Ash set themselves. They have tried to get a bit louder, and it did not pull off and the quality drops. This is also the first album with a new member, a girl named Charlotte Hatherley who comes on to guitars to add to Mark Hamilton on bass and drummer Rick McMurry. Tim Wheeler is the all round guy, the song writer, vocals on all tracks and lead guitarists. Ash managed to release a few tracks from this album, ‘Numbskull’ and ‘Jesus Says’. Both are good songs, though my favourite is still ‘Projects’, though ‘Jesus Says’ still ranks pretty high. All round though the album is nice, but not as good as Ash can produce, and their other two albums produced.

1. Projects 3.53

A good start to the album, a great, strong guitar intro, but it does not give a fair representation of the album in general. To be honest it fooled me, I had brought this album against the reviews and advice from friends and I wondered what the fuss was about after the first three tracks. A nice song, guitars all the way through and nice vocals from Tim.

“Dark in Heaven baby that’s for sure,
Dark in Heaven baby that’s for sure”

2. Low Ebb 5.00

A long track, and I feel it gets a bit prolonged in the end, but this is one of the best quality songs on the album in regards to vocals
and music. Slower paced to tone down the start to the album, but still has the electric guitars in the background. Dark and mysterious, but could be called slow and boring.

“Still hold on,
As the light is fading out
Feels like your life is ebb, ebbing away,
Feels like your life is ebb, ebbing away”

3. Jesus Says 4.44

A great song, one of my favourites and the one of the best on the album and a released single. A very good song, kicks in instantly with good lyrics (the title is one of the lyrics from it), and an upbeat tone to the tracks. Nice chorus, repetitive so gets in your head with a nice ‘oo-hoo’ thing every so often in the track, but great one here.

“Cut down shut down,
Any way you please,
Don’t get nothing for free,
Big time small time,
Anyway you choose yeah,
Don’t mean nothing to me”

4. Wildsurf 3.26

Good guitars on the track, and again sticks in your mind like ‘Jesus Says’, but it just not in the same bracket for quality. Still a nice poppy song that can make you get up, and it actually reminds me of summer like many of Ash’s songs, but just does not cut is, as it lacks that little touch.

“Burn like a star in the cold night,
Yeah burn until the dawn light,
And make it to a new time,
Burning in my head,
Yeah so come on,
Yeah, come on while we still can,
Yeah, come on while it still stands,
Burning in my head.”

5. Death Trip 4.08

Quick moving, but again lacks quality to move this one on. I would class it as average, very average, there is a lot of noise, such as screaming, and if you look at the lyrics there is a good mark, but there is nothing in here to set things alight.

“One million miles away,
My thoughts afloat in speculation,
You fill my dreams sandman,
With the taste of hedonism and death”

6.
Folk Song 4.54

Not exactly a folk song, but is slower, taking time to get started and less heavy guitar based. Lyrically and vocally good again, but does not fit into the album too well. Having said that it is a good enough song, this is real instruments and sweet singing, but nothing that will change the world.

“Walking through the changing season,
Sorrow spreads its wings,
We can’t keep a hold on time,
Just receive what it will bring”

7. Numbskull 3.09

Not a good track, they again are trying too hard to fit in. There is scratching, screaming and bad language on this track, as Ash try and appeal to other people. This is not why I like Ash, they have a good unique sound, this is not it. They have stop start guitars and is heavy, but they do not pull it off well at all. Some may like it, the chorus is not bad, but this just seems a poor imitation of others.

“Got a beautiful face got a f***** up inside,
Need a shot of your faith,
Come along for the ride”

8. Burn Out 4.02

Nicer sound, more laid back with softer vocals and still nice mix of guitars. The vocals do lack punch, and is not as good as some of the others, but is more agreeable to me than ‘Numbskull’

“Rising in the east,
And fading in the west,
To the north and to sleep,
At the close of day,
The flame goes out,
Only char left in the grate”

9. Aphrodite 4.17

Never bursts into life, and is another one of the slow and mediocre tracks on the album. There are again good lyrics and meaningful but the songs does not do it much justice.

“How can I tell you what’s in my head,
How can I say when its all so bad,
Feel so weak,
Feel so tired,
Oh so tired,
Feel my heart bereaving me”

10. Fortune Teller 3.22

Nice little track at the end of the album. Keeps its speed all the
way through, while telling the story of the fortune teller. Nice, I liked this it worked well and is one of the better ones on the album, particularly after a run of very average tracks.

“Go and see the fortune teller,
Will she tell me all she knows,
Go and see the fortune teller baby,
Find out how it goes”

11. I’m Gonna Fall 5.13

Slower paced song, I like my albums to go out in a blaze of glory. Sadly this dose not, an average track to end an average album. This track is just too quiet and slow moving for me to get energy in after a poor album, though I can see it is quite relaxing and sweet vocals do add a bit.

“And the time is right for falling,
This time I’m gonna fall,
That’s the price I must pay”

For me ‘Nu-Clear Sounds’ did not come close to living up to the start Ash made with ‘1977’, but thankfully they have come back with the storming latest album ‘Free all Angles’. My advice to people would be, buy one or the other, but stay away from this. It is not terrible, just the other two are so much better.

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