Nada Surf
Lucky
Barsuk, 2008
By Elodie Bonaparte
I know that making “Favourite Albums of All Time” lists are sort of masturbatory, but Nada Surf’s 2003 release Let Go is just one of those albums for me. So it’s hard not to judge all other Nada Surf albums against what I see as a perfect, blissful pop record. Although I was slow to warm up to their last album, 2005’s The Weight is a Gift, I came to appreciate it and still wanted more from the trio: singer Matthew Caws, drummer Ira Elliot, and bassist Daniel Lorca. New release Lucky showcases a solid array of catchy, lyrical pop songs, plus a brief glimpse of slower-paced, countryish sounds.
Strong opener “See These Bones” is classic Nada Surf, and is the song that will most likely get all the radio play. But “The Fox” is a personal favourite, featuring lush strings on a backdrop of glimmery, distorted guitars, and ending with a sinister resonance, thanks in part to ethereal background singing. Meanwhile, “Beautiful Beat” is high-soaring blisspop at its best, and is an anthem for why people (read: me) are addicted to catchy music. If you need a feel-good song after a shitty day of responsibility, this is it. Lucky’s weakest track is the vocally-grating “Whose Authority”, though I enjoy the acoustic version of this song from the bonus disc.
The album isn’t all fast-paced cheeriness. “Are You Lightning?” is the first track to slow things down; the old-fashioned quality of this song is a new style from Nada Surf. “The Film Did Not Go ‘Round” takes things even slower, and is the proverbial perfect ending to a great album — sometimes all you need in a good song is a lovely voice and a catchy riff. Caws’ voice, along with Lianne Smith on backup vocals, is the focal point, moving the slow, melancholic song along with a soft elegance. I found myself wanting more of this side of Nada Surf; maybe their next album will be country — this last song proves that they could pull it off. It’s good to see an experienced band like Nada Surf try new sounds and take new directions, and still produce Lucky: a solid album of catchy pop-rock.
Ohh! I think I found out where “self-masturbatory” was!
It’s too bad it’s redundant, because it has a nice verbal flow, especially in that sentence.
“Are You Lightning?” sounds so damned metal, but you say that it’s a slowdown track? Genre disparities sure are crazy.
Sam, if anyone got carte blanche to rewrite all the song titles in the universe, I’d want it to be you.
I liked the “self” too. That’s why it stayed in ’til the copyediting stage. :(
The self was okay, but I think the joke is stronger without it. Almost always, less words = more funny.
That said, I want to listen to this record big time. I remember hearing that Nada Surf were going to open for one of my favourite bands and laughing out loud. “They still exists?” I said. But I was surprised how good they were.
Plus, the bassist (I think it was the bassist) really pulled off having a cigarette dangling from his lip for the entire 40-minute set.