Ash Discusses Butch Vig’s “Nu-Clear” Detonation

Irish rock group Ash recently secured a new, multi-album deal with Dreamworks Records, insuring that its newest LP, “Nu-Clear Sounds,” would finally reach record stores in America almost a year after being issued in Europe and the U.K.

Ash and its new label decided to give “Nu-Clear Sounds” a bit of cosmetic surgery for its Stateside release and enlisted the help of uber-producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig to resequence the record and remix several tracks, including the first U.S. single, “Jesus Says” (see “Ash Ready To Drop ‘Nu-Clear’ Album; Taps Butch Vig For Remixes”).

MTV News caught up with Ash while the group was in New York to play a pair of showcase gigs, and frontman Tim Wheeler discussed how Ash hooked up with Vig for the refurbished “Sounds.”

“Well, we were talking to a few people about doing remixes,” Wheeler said, “but it was quite funny, ’cause Butch actually came to us, ’cause he and Garbage had been really into the [new] album. He used to play it before they went onstage every night on tour, and he really got into it.”

“So he kind of came to us,” Wheeler continued, “and said, ‘I’d love to do some mixes because I’d love to hear this on American radio.’ And he didn’t really alter the arrangements too much, he just made it sound better. It was amazing…. There’s kinda talk about working with Butch [on the next album], which we’d love, ’cause it’d be perfect. We’ll see how it goes, ’cause he’s a very busy man.” [RealAudio]

“Nu-Clear Sounds” is due out on August 24, and Ash hopes to follow up the record’s release with an extended U.S. tour in September.