Nada Surf may not be a familiar name among younger PT readers, but the oldies should remember 'Popular' as the single that broke them into the mainstream. Ironically the popularity of that song sent them spiralling down the charts as they failed to write anything commercially successful enough to keep the majors interested and after a bit of time away the band are now back with a brilliant little record that I feel is as good as anything they've done.
Nada Surf are a little like a darker Weezer meets 'Guilt Show'-era Get Up Kids, so they're certainly poppy enough to appeal to a lot of people. 'Beautiful Beat' is a great little song, as is the opener. Nada Surf have always had the knack of writing twee little pop songs and 'Lucky' is full of them. 'Weightless' and 'From Now On', the latter especially, are also beautiful songs which show the band's more upbeat side. Obviously there are the slower, darker tunes and as the album peters out they seem to take over - 'The Fox', for me, is the worst song here. But overall this is a great, consistent album and deserves your attention.
