Nuclear Sounds- Ash with more energy than Ever! (Nu Clear Sounds - Ash)

Member Name: claiir

Product:	Nu Clear Sounds - Ash
Date:	18/10/03 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A diverse album with a good mix of songs.

Disadvantages: some of the songs are just a little bit too slow and quiet.

This, Ash's second album, is the one they went all grown up on. Not only have they brought in a new girl, Charlotte Hatherly, on vocals and guitar ( who adds more depth to their sound), they've also taken a bit of a new direction, away from the poppy songs of the first album, to something which seems darker and more urgent. The opening song, projects, a relentless blast of sound which seems to hang around in the air for a couple of minutes, with a refrain of "dark in heaven baby that's for sure" really sets the tone for the album, edgy, intense, relentless and altogether a lot more unsettling than we've seen Ash before. There are really two group of songs within the album - the very loud, fast ones, which include projects, and its older, nastier brothers, Death trip 21 and Numbskull, homages to hopelessness, death and feeling generally f**ked -up. Coming as a complete contrast to these are a couple of songs which made me feel they belonged back in the 60's with the flower-children, so mellow , chilled and laid-back that they're almost horizontal; are Aphrodite and Folk song. The title of the last said it all really. If I were Ash, I would have reversed the Titles of Death Trip 21 and Folk Song, just to keep everybody guessing. while these are very pretty likkle songs, they just don't have enough bite for me. Sample lyric: "Light a candle in your heart, light it to the spring", which for me says it all. having said that my favorite songs on the album are some of the slower ones. Burn out seems to contain some intense feelings on the part the author, and I'm gonna fall, the last track on the album, is a beautiful, understated way to end, which leaves the audience wanting more. This is a very good album, marred only slightly by a few songs that just aren't the best Ash can do in terms of depth, bite, and lyric content.

Recommended
Yes

Summary: