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Nada Surf

Lucky

  • AMG Review of Lucky

    Amg
    Andrew Leahey
    All Music Guide

    If Fountains of Wayne create snarky power pop songs for Friday evenings, then Nada Surf is the band for Sunday afternoons. They've grown more emotive over the years, having replaced the sarcasm of 1996's "Popular" with a grown-up focus on pop songcraft and mellow instrumentation. And they've been lucky, too -- lucky in that their audience has remained, their (once rocky) label situation has steadied, and their chops have improved. Appropriately enough, Lucky sounds like a celebration of the band's good fortune. Somber songs are still present, most notably the plaintive closer "The Film Did Not Go 'Round," but most of the album is dominated by steady, mid-tempo pop/rock. Nada Surf spent the first half of the 2000s making subdued rainy day records, which makes Lucky seem downright sunny (if not supernova bright) in comparison. There are some particularly luminous moments here, including the back-to-back punch of "Whose Authority" and "Beautiful Beat," where the songs immediately unleash their hooks and sustain that energy for minutes. "Beautiful beat, get me out of this mess; beautiful beat, lift me up from distress," sings Matthew Caws, sounding restless and happy at the same time, as if he knows his anxiety can be quelled at any moment by the sounds of his brightest record to date. But Lucky never gets lost in that sort of happiness. Nada Surf has seen too much over the past 15 years not to be cautious, and the leadoff track "See These Bones" warns younger bands to be similarly careful with their careers. "Look alive, see these bones," the lyrics advise. "What you are now, we were once -- and just like we are, you'll be dust." As the song ends, three different melodies weave themselves together, all of them instantly memorable and worthy of being a chorus in their own right. So even when Lucky tries to turn down the glow, it still radiates with the oomph of a solid power pop release, making Nada Surf's fifth album a fine finale for a weekend well-spent.

MANUP LOCKS - NFL WEEK 15 - EAGLES & COLTS
11 months ago
Blog post image preview

But first, These are my TOP 10 'BEST' MUSIC CD's for 2008 (Part 1) (1.) TODD RUNDGREN - ARENA - 'Arena' proves Todd still has a lot of songwriting muscle and performance minded guitar chops. .... (2.) JEFF BECK - LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTT'S JAZZ CLUB - As impressive as any Jeff Beck fan would expect. …. (3.) STEVE WINWOOD - NINE LIVES - This is pop music with soul. Deeper and braver lyrically t.

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Nada Surf: No Quick Fix (B-side)
11 months ago

Spent the weekend in Henderson, Nev., with the in-laws, which allowed ample time in the car - two-hour delay at Hoover Dam! - for some intimate time with the iPod. That meant revisiting some of this year's early releases, including Nada Surf's Lucky. I haven't seen Lucky on many year-end lists, which seems criminal. All [...]

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Jonny Magic
Jonny Magic of why i like robins
Nada Surf : Lucky
about 1 year ago
Blog post image preview

Any one who listened to the radio at all in the mid to late nineties at least knows who Nada Surf is, but do you remember when you first actually dove into (if you haven’t yet, it’s ok, they’re still together and there is still time) Nada Surf? For me it was in 2003 when my little brother strongly recommended I get a copy of Let Go. When I got the album I laid down in the floor in m

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Get Lucky (no, not the Loverboy album)
about 1 year ago

My critical faculties are temporarily out of service. They have been completely undone by the new Nada Surf album, Lucky.I think they wanted to tell you something about how you can really forget their annoying hit "Popular" of 12 years ago, and something else about how this is a better Teenage Fanclub record than Teenage Fanclub has ever recorded. (And both I and my critical faculties like Te...

More >
Nada Surf's "Lucky" is an explosion of awesome
about 1 year ago

I don't want to be too specific to ruin the album for anyone who hasn't had a listen yet. So here's my vague, rambling, inexpert review of Nada Surf's "Lucky."Anyone who hasn't at least heard "See These Bones" or "I Like What You Say," what have you been doing?? Check them out on "their myspace":www.myspace.com/nadasurf."Ice On The Wing" has to be one of my favorites. If I saw that song walking...

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New Nada Surf Album Out In February
over 2 years ago
Blog post image preview

Indie rockers Nada Surf will release their fifth album, Lucky on February 5th, 2008 via Barsuk Records. The track "See These Bones" is currently streaming on the band's "MySpace page":http://www.myspace.com/nadasurf .Lucky is the follow-up to 2005's The Weight is a Gift and was recorded at Seattle's Robert Lang Studios, the same place Nirvana recorded their last studio session. Guests onthe alb...

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Download Nada Surf, Booka Shade, Tigercity + More
over 2 years ago
Blog post image preview

Spinner has a new free mp3 everyday M-F and this week they featured some real gems. You can legally download any of these:Nada Surf, 'See These Bones' Georgie James, 'Need Your Needs' Orba Squara, 'Perfect Timing (This Morning)' & 'Gravel' Tigercity, 'Are You Sensation' Booka Shade, 'Numbers'The Nada Surf tune is from their Lucky album. You can also download Nada Surf's Interface performance ...

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Mog adds a "MOGs Only" filter....
about 1 year ago

Thanks to the Mog team for working with the community of moggers to bring us "MOGs Only" filter. Don't get me wrong...I love all the content and music news that the MMNs bring...Seriously, you've got a great site...thanks for working so hard, everyday, to make it great.Thanks!

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The New Phone Book is Here! The New Phone Book is Here!
about 1 year ago
Blog post image preview

I always get so spazzily excited to get my "Paste Magazine":http://www.pastemagazine.com/ every month or so since they have that nifty music sampler. According to the guys on "Sound Opinions":http://www.soundopinions.org/shownotes/2008/042508/shownotes.htmlmusic print jounalism has seen better days...so I'd better enjoy this while it lasts! I love the new "Nada Surf":http://www.nadasurf.com/ tu...

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Stream New Nada Surf Track, "See These Bones"
about 1 year ago

Here's a track off the upcoming Nada Surf album, Lucky, due out on Barsuk on Feb. 5. Nada Surf's Matthew Caws is a Mogger. Check out his MOG: http://mog.com/matthew_caws

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Get Lucky (no, not the Loverboy album)
about 1 year ago

My critical faculties are temporarily out of service. They have been completely undone by the new Nada Surf album, Lucky.I think they wanted to tell you something about how you can really forget their annoying hit "Popular" of 12 years ago, and something else about how this is a better Teenage Fanclub record than Teenage Fanclub has ever recorded. (And both I and my critical faculties like Te...

More >
MANUP LOCKS - NFL WEEK 15 - EAGLES & COLTS
11 months ago
Blog post image preview

But first, These are my TOP 10 'BEST' MUSIC CD's for 2008 (Part 1) (1.) TODD RUNDGREN - ARENA - 'Arena' proves Todd still has a lot of songwriting muscle and performance minded guitar chops. .... (2.) JEFF BECK - LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTT'S JAZZ CLUB - As impressive as any Jeff Beck fan would expect. …. (3.) STEVE WINWOOD - NINE LIVES - This is pop music with soul. Deeper and braver lyrically t.

More >
Nada Surf Appears On Conan O'Brien This Week, Album Drops Today
about 1 year ago

We just received a nice note from Nada Surf's neck of the internet. It seems that their new album Lucky hit the streets and the shelves today and the band will be appearing on the Conan O'Brien show this Thursday. Here is the full message:Hey All,Happy Tuesday. Nada Surf’s Lucky streets today. Just a quick note to tell you the band will be on Conan O’Brien this Thursday. Additionally, Nada

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Nada Surf announce new US tour dates (plus Mexico)
about 1 year ago

--- - Possibly reigning as Pasta Primavera's favorite band, Nada Surf will be back on tour in the US later this fall. Most tickets go on sale this Friday, so go get some. As I've railed about before, this is an amazing live band, sooooooo, go to the shows. Delta Spirit and the Jealous Girlfriends will be along [...]- Nada Surf

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Videos of new Nada Surf songs (many thanks to the fans who recorded this).
over 2 years ago

Well, I found 3 more songs from Nada Surf's new album. Let me show it to you guys! I dunno if this songs are close or not to the final versions (let's discover when the album gets released) but, it's a really good and amazing preview.Here We go:Ice On The WingsI Like What You SayHere Goes SomethingEnjooooooooooy ;D

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Anecdote of uncool
about 1 year ago

Let me start by saying that I have met a celebrity or two and been in complete control of my composure. With that said, the complete opposite happened when I came face to face with one of my favorite bands, Nada Surf.The show was on March 19th of this year and had Nada Surf as the headliner with Sea Wolf opening. I had been loving Sea Wolf since first hearing the single You're a Wolf and was re...

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Brand new songs!
over 2 years ago

Hello guys!It'll be a short but nice post...Nada Surf will out their new album entitled Lucky at february 05.They have been released a song to download at their "myspace page":heet://www.myspace.com/nada surf See These Bones, and two fans that recorded another one that will be at the new album tracklist called "Whose Authority".These songs show to us how the band are sounding so different from ...

More >
Nada Surf's "Lucky" is an explosion of awesome
about 1 year ago

I don't want to be too specific to ruin the album for anyone who hasn't had a listen yet. So here's my vague, rambling, inexpert review of Nada Surf's "Lucky."Anyone who hasn't at least heard "See These Bones" or "I Like What You Say," what have you been doing?? Check them out on "their myspace":www.myspace.com/nadasurf."Ice On The Wing" has to be one of my favorites. If I saw that song walking...

More >
The Sharks and the Jets
about 1 year ago

More striking than apt maybe, but it's a nice lyric.Made a last minute decision to cycle to see Nada Surf play at the Maison Radio France, one of Lenoir's Black Sessions. "Radio live transmission":http://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/em/cestlenoir/.

More >
Jonny Magic
Jonny Magic of why i like robins
Nada Surf : Lucky
about 1 year ago
Blog post image preview

Any one who listened to the radio at all in the mid to late nineties at least knows who Nada Surf is, but do you remember when you first actually dove into (if you haven’t yet, it’s ok, they’re still together and there is still time) Nada Surf? For me it was in 2003 when my little brother strongly recommended I get a copy of Let Go. When I got the album I laid down in the floor in m

More >

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