It might surprise readers to discover that Nada Surf never dissolved after their fifteen minutes ran out in 1996 and their hit single, “Popular,” went stale. Readers may be floored to learn that, since then, the band has kept a consistent release schedule (five albums since High/Low came out in 1996 – who knew?) as well as a regular touring itinerary on a sub-basement level of the American rock underground. That the band has soldiered on like they have is admirable (if unremarkable) but, now, Nada Surf may end up really being the big winners as time and taste have dictated that all things Nineties are now “retro,” and the band's new album actually ranks as a strong and solid effort.
Listeners old enough to remember that moment when Nada Surf was riding high won't be able to stop themselves from doing a double-take as “Clear Eye Clouded Mind” peels open The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy and instantly starts an adrenaline rush. Here, singer/guitarist Matt Caws immediately starts to generate a swirling torrent of guitar which is equal parts old school alt- and new school post-punk – but all hook. Some of that rhetoric will sound familiar as the stuff which was regularly strung together to extoll the merits of one band or another in the Nineties, but the angry waters that Caws stirs up here seem to be a little better focused than was de rigeur before; here, bassist Daniel Lorca and drummer Ira Elliot purify and otherwise refine Caws' guitars, filter them and present them framed by a fantastic rhythm section. With such a clear (and perfectly ironic – given the song's title) and streamlined beginning, both those listeners who were genuinely interested to see what the band might have in store and those who started listening initially only to see how bad it could get will be perfectly engaged and, happily, Nada Surf steps up a little further after “Clear Eye Clouded Mind” and repays that interest.
While Nada Surf doesn't always keep the urgency of “Clear Eye Clouded Mind” up through each of the album's ten songs, the band does manage to straddle the line between sounding fresh and familiar as they don't exactly re-think their sound so much as simply extend it along the lines that listeners already know. The results are energetic and urgent as songs like “When I Was Young,” “Teenage Dreams” and “Let The Fight Do The Fighting” all see Caws allowing his melodies to simper and swell as the themes in each require, and Lorca and Elliot keep things tight and earnestly on track every step of the way through this run-time. Reading it spelled out that way may imply that the whole presentation is very measured and calculated to some, but listening yields a very different sensation; here, it's hard not to see the glow in each song and feel the emotional center of each – whether happy or resentful or angry or dismissive, listeners will be able to follow each and easily relate.
They may follow along, but will Nada Surf still find that they have listeners after the alt-rock renaissance ends? That's a question no one could hope to answer, but there is no question that the material on The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy is strong enough that it deserves the chance to be heard without being held only in a “retro” mindset. If this album does get the chance to simply stand on its own, Nada Surf may discover that they can have a strong, mainstream career after all.
Artist:
www.nadasurf.com/
www.myspace.com/nadasurf
www.facebook.com/NadaSurf
www.twitter.com/nadasurf
Download:
Nada Surf – "When I Was Young" – The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy
Album:
The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy comes out on January 24, 2012 via Barsuk Records. Pre-order it here on Amazon .
