No, they were not torn limb from limb by someone who snapped after hearing “Popular” one too many times. I knew they were still putting out music, and I knew that “Let Go” had gotten good reviews, but honestly it wasn’t until I saw that album lauded by Chris Walla that I took much notice. When Chris Walla talks I listen. So at that point I decided it was probably worth buying, and it turns out that was a good decision.
Is this an album of far too radio-friendly hits? No. They have moved on since “Popular”. And while some of these songs probably could have been radio hits (with the right amount of promotion and luck), Nada Surf has aged in a way that’s made their music much more interesting (dare I say “mature”?) while clearly maintaining a pop sensibility. Now I don’t think their lyrics always live up to their music. In particular, the chorus of “Inside of Love” springs to mind, though I suppose those lyrics are very radio-friendly. And to my tastes a couple of the tracks late on the album don’t live up to the rest of it. But this is definitely a solid piece of work with some very fine songs on it (my personal favorites being “Blizzard of ’77” and “Fruit Fly”). So if you’re in the mood for an album of this sort, you might want to consider surfing over to Barsuk Records.
Posted by armand at July 13, 2004 08:58 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Music