Nada Surf, the trio best known for their hit single "Popular" in 1996, is still going strong 12 years later with a brand-new album release titled Lucky. While the melodies, themes and lyrics have evolved significantly over the decade, the essential tone of the band remains true to its original pop sound. The band continues to be reflective and approaches the mess of everyday life with agreeable melodies and harmonies.
Lead singer Matthew Caws begins the album with a catchy track that sets the introspective attitude found throughout the other songs. "Look alive / See these bones / What you are now / We were once / Just like we are / You will be dust / Just like we are / Permanent." The melodic development captures the listener's attention and eases him into the poppier sounds to follow. Caws reaches the conclusion that "life is just bets anyway," willing to accept whatever happens.
"On Whose Authority",the album's standout single, is full of classic pop charm and has a melody that you will be humming hours later. The band creates a perfect balance between instruments and vocals, with a strong guitar line that builds until the very last notes of the track. The band also, however, mixes things up with "The Film Did Not Go 'Round," "Are You Lightning?" and "Here Goes Something," showing it is able to break out of the pop mold.
"Film," fittingly the last song on the album, is saturated with melancholy emotions evoked from Caws' lyrics (later accompanied by a female harmony) and solo guitar. "Just the thought of you makes me wanna cry / This deep well of tears / Has just run dry" The downtrodden tone is a new one for Nada Surf, but the band masters it beautifully. "Are You Lightning" is reminiscent of a lazy summer day, sitting on a porch swing drinking lemonade. Nada Surf creates a languid tone with lethargic guitar chords and spacey vocals.
Nada Surf continues to explore different textures and emotions in the album's other tracks. The band creates a folksy, indie tune in Americana-inspired "Here Goes Something." The drum creates a barnyard beat, setting a backdrop of expansive open fields. "Ice on the Wing" brings the album back to its pop-inspired roots, with a fast beat and memorable melody -- however, the band throws you off again as it ends the song with a trio of horns. The following song, "The Fox," is full of guitar distortion and loud drum beats, draping a gloomy, depressing tone over the track. The lyrics mirror the tone set by the instruments: "But you'll sail alone / if you don't hold the rope / You'll go alone." The eerie choral voices in the last minute of the song culminate to create a song very uncharacteristic for Nada Surf.
Overall, the variety of these tracks demonstrates the band's strength. Nada Surf has been very successful in producing an album with a variety of different tracks that show its musical advancement and progression, full of catchy tunes and satisfying melodies. Fans of the band's last two albums will surely fall in love with its newest, Lucky.
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