- Music
- 19 Aug 03
Tim Wheeler and co will be heading into the studio in Los Angeles with Foo Fighters producer Nick Raskulinecz
Tim Wheeler exclusively revealed to Hot Press that Ash will record their as yet untitled fourth album in Los Angeles this Autumn. "We've been taking it easy all year apart from one month long American tour and a few random gigs over the summer," a relaxed Wheeler explained. "We're going to do an album in Sound City in L.A. where Nirvana did Nevermind in September and October and we've got a whole bunch of tunes. We'll be working with Nick Raskulinecz who produced the last Foo Fighters album. We're delighted to be working in an American studio because that’s where our sound comes from or at least a lot of the records that we're really into. They've got an edge that sounds warmer and more powerful and I think it's also something to do with the studios. They take a lot more time over sounds. We're going to the source of it so I'm looking forward to that."
Ash debuted two new tracks at their monster shows with Robbie Williams in Knebworth, Murrayfield and the Phoenix Park entitled 'Renegade Calvacade' and 'Orpheus'. "The new songs feel more powerful and have a bit more of a groove," Tim added. "As a record, I think it will sound a lot more coherent. I can't put finger on why exactly it will be different but it will. Rick's drumming has improved so much. Doing so many support gigs and tours has really helped our musicianship and ability because you can never be complacent about those gigs. We've been playing 'Orpheus' live which is the one everyone likes, but apart from that I've no ideas about probable highlights. The funny thing about 'Burn Baby Burn' is that we wrote it around the time of Nuclear Sounds and never released it or put it on that album. We re-worked it with a new chorus and put it on Free All Angels, but I never thought it was any more special than anything else but it was that and 'Shining Light' that kicked things off. I don't have a clue when I write something whether people will like it."
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When album number four is the can, Wheeler hopes to hit the road for the first Ash headline tour in quite some time. "We've been doing supports and large scale arena tours for so long that we're dying to go out on our own," Tim wishes. "Just a few of us in a van ready to take on the world again."