DEREK SEDAM
Staff Writer
If Jack Johnson caters to stoners, fraternities and weekend trips to Mexico, meet Nada Surf, the indie-man’s Jack. The band’s blend of melancholy ballads, love songs and pure pop-ecstasy will get the homework done quicker and that post-Inn hookup commence sooner.
The band’s latest effort, “Lucky,” keeps the formula the same and the music sharp. There is not a dull moment on this 11-track album that proves the “chill” music world does not have to be dominated by a surfing Hawaiian. To say that Nada Surf’s career has been a rollercoaster is an understatement. The New York trio gained fame too early (1996’s MTV-hit “Popular”), quickly crashed into 90’s oblivion (paging Hootie and his blowfish) and now is an indie-rock powerhouse on Barsuk Records with the Death Cab dudes.
“Lucky” builds on the formula that 2003’s “Let Go” and 2005’s “The Weight Is a Gift” hammered away on, supreme pop-rockers and make-out tunes even ”One Tree Hill” can not pass up. Gone is former collaborator Chris Walla (Death Cab guitarist) for John Goodmanson, who takes the band not necessarily in a different direction but views their past two efforts in a different light. It is consistency in a good way.
The studio trickery is replaced with strings, piano, guest appearances and consistent up-tempo pop songs. Nada Surf has improved on its songwriting and music-making abilities as a band (Walla frequently added guitar and vocals on past albums), which gives way to radio-worthy tunes like the warning-sign anthem “See These Bones” and the uplifting “Weightless.”
The album title is a clear indication of what to expect on nine of the 11 tracks. After the success of its two previous albums, it is evident the band is in a comfortable place. The slow-moving epics on “Let Go” and “The Weight is a Gift” that made Nada Surf famous are merely a change of pace instead of a main staple on “Lucky.”
“I believe our love can save me, have to believe that it can; beautiful beat, get me out of this mess, beautiful beat, lift me up from distress,” singer Matthew Caws resonates over the memorable “Beautiful Beat.”
The songs of optimism cannot last for long, though. This is a Nada Surf record, of course. These guys have been through too much over the years to know even the best of luck runs dry. The last two songs on the album, “The Fox” and “The Film Did Not Go ‘Round,” speak of isolation and loss with the latter, bringing thoughts of vintage, tear-jerking Radiohead.
Next time someone needs an upper, save the Adderall for finals and pop in “Lucky.” Nada Surf has crafted the first quality pop record of the year. Refrain from being “that person” who asks which band just played on “Gossip Girl” and give in to the great pop-rock way of life that Nada Surf has built its foundation on.
02-21-2008
