Nu-Clear Sounds

Ash: Tim Wheeler, Charlotte Hatherley (vocals, guitar); Mark Hamilton (bass); Rick McMurray (drums).
Additional personnel: Hossam Ramzy, Dave Larkin (percussion); Mel Wesson (programming); Dick Kurtain (scratches).
Producers: Arthur Baker, Ash, Chris Kimsey, Owen Morris.
Engineers: David Nicholas, Billy Bush, Rafe McKenna.
Recorded in Spring & Summer 1998.
NU-CLEAR SOUNDS brings together a wide range of musical influences in songs served up by British power pop outfit Ash. This well-polished album includes heavy alternative rockers like "Jesus Says," "Numbskull," and "Death Trip 21" as well as tender tracks like "Wild Surf," "Folk Song," and "I'm Gonna Fall." Lead vocalist Tim Wheeler moves seamlessly from painting an ethereal canvas on one track to madly lashing out on the next. Other standout tracks include "Low Ebb," "Projects," and "A Life Less Ordinary," the last of which was written by the band for the 1998 film of the same name. NU-CLEAR SOUNDS is clever songwriting in a power pop shell.