Nada Surf - Lucky

On the strength of this, the Brooklyn trio's luck is far from out

Album Review by Jon Seller | 06 Mar 2008
Album title: Lucky
Artist: Nada Surf
Label: City Slang
Celebrated film producer Samuel Goldwyn once stated that "the harder I work, the luckier I get" and were Nada Surf to have a cheesy MGM-sponsored ethos, then this would surely be it. Lucky, the trio's fifth album, is another collection of good, honest songs from a band who over the past 16 years have kept on making music and playing shows without so much as a hint of mainstream domination or arena excursions.

Lucky may therefore also describe the band's longevity in the business in spite of such limited success. As with all Nada Surf records, this album displays an impressive knack for melody throughout, with Matthew Caws' likeable vocals given every opportunity to soar over gentle backing, with strings and the harmonic attributes of both bassist, Daniel Lorca, and drummer, Ira Elliot, adding enough depth and variety to proceedings to allow the Brooklyn band to avoid the noisy route oft-employed by smaller collectives.

Opener and real stand-out track See These Bones is just over five minutes of pop perfection, which encapsulates the band's dynamic perfectly, highlighting every aspect of the aforementioned, whilst lead single I Like What You Say, comes in at a close second. Whose Authority reminds these ears of Teenage Fanclub in their glory day and emphasises the overall reliance on melody over shows of technical ability, which is to be commended. Though the highs of some songs expose certain vulnerabilities in others, this is nevertheless a fair addition to the 'Surf repertoire, leaving the overall impression that this band's luck is far from out. [Jon Seller]
Release Date: 18 Feb
Nada Surf play the Garage, Glasgow on 23 Feb http://www.nadasurf.com