I Thought These Guys Were Dead!

We all have secrets and here is mine, so let it be known: I love pop music! Don't get me wrong, if the lyrics are fluff, I don't buy the stuff. But, when it digs down deep I sing it in my sleep!

In February of this year, a band that I hadn't thought much about since high school, released their latest album, Lucky. Nada Surf moved to Barsuk Records about five years ago and totally reinvented themselves. They have, in my opinion, put a stranglehold on the world of pop music with arresting hooks and catchy riffs as well as thoughtful, intelligent and often witty lyrics.

Their past three albums Let Go, The Weight Is A Gift and Lucky, all on Barsuk, have been major triumphs for a band many people forgot about in the late 90's. Their graceful brand of poppy rock music is far more mature than anything else going at the moment. The music is tight and disciplined and the melodies are jangly, pretty and thrashy.

Lucky starts with the song "See These Bones", which has the catchiness to be a huge single. The standouts are the mellower tracks: "Here Goes Something" and "Are You Lightning?". Nada Surf move in and out of excitement and nervous melancholy on this album and do so without leaving the listener wondering what the hell they're up to. When I first brought the record home I put it into my stereo and it didn't leave for nearly three months! It's perfect pop music for people who hate pop music. (Remember our little secret?)

These guys caught my attention again with their last record, The Weight Is A Gift, but Lucky has a much better flow and gives the impression that they're just getting started! But, the best to date is still Let Go from 2002. Let Go is a proper masterpiece in many respects, but considering that these guys had only made two records in the six years leading up to it, it is truly a masterpiece. In other words, if you dig pop music that is well-crafted and appreciate thoughtful lyrics... it just doesn't get much better than Nada Surf!

Matthew Caws has a strange, hypnotic voice that draws you in regardless of your initial impressions of the music itself. These guys aren't Freshman by any stretch of the imagination! Keep your eye out for them. I don't think we've yet seen what's up their sleeves!