Ash
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
Their glossy youth was undoubtedly alluring, yet their Irish roots exuded a bit of an American flair similar to the likes of Pavement and the Lemonheads. They werent even out of high school before three singles hit the Top Five in the U.K. indie charts. A year later marked Ashs full-length debut with 1977 and a deal with Reprise Records in the U.S. Named in honor of the year Star Wars was released, 1977 displayed Wheeler and Hamiltons full-fledged love for all things extraterrestrial and science fiction-related. Sharp guitar hooks and exact production work by Owen Morris (Oasis, New Order, Paul Weller) gained the bandmembers the fame theyd been wishing for since childhood. They were headlining major festivals -- T in the Park, Glastonbury, Roskilde, and Reading -- and playing countless club dates across the globe. In fall 1997, female guitarist Charlotte Hatherley was added to the all-male lineup, a definite change for the bands sound and image and a step that led Ashs fan base to expand into more of what the band had been looking for since the beginning.
With a new bandmate and the end of their teenage years, Ash welcomed anything that came their way. The late 90s marked a maturation for Ash as a unit as well as individually. Their sound featured heavier guitars while Wheelers lyrical content experienced a much grittier shift. Their sophomore effort, Nu-Clear Sounds (1998), had Garbages Butch Vig (Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana) at the mixing board, and it wasnt necessarily their finest moment. NME turned on the band, criticizing Ashs new sound as terrifying, ghoulrawk thrashnik deathcore noiseterrior sultans of satanic verse in August 1998. Harsh words and reviews didnt distract Ash, however. Free All Angels followed in April 2001, although it didnt even see a U.S. release until the following summer. Meltdown, the bands first stateside release for Record Collection, arrived in spring 2005. A year later, and after nine years with Ash, Charlotte Hatherley announced her departure from the band.
