Victims of early success

Nada Surf is a band aged listeners might remember well from the mid nineties of the past century, when it literally sprung into musical channels. Back then they did not have as many channels of that kind as today, which prevented dividing them into primary and secondary and which meant that getting there was a big success already. Hit Popular off Nada Surf’s debut studio work High/Low (1996) predetermined the ensemble’s destiny for many years lying ahead. After the impressive start the musicians had had, the attention to their product and personalities was a guaranteed long-term option. This was close to ruining the group of these talented young rockers who enjoyed too long the fame of their only hit. Nada Surf were pretty slow to realize that the upbeat pop-rock with dominating guitars all over the place turned into an out-of-fashion good, and it took them quite a while to make up a substitution. The New York trio’s latest works have markedly lost the vive and loudness of the first records, yet gained a more apparent melodiousness. Step by step, the band got to paying more attention to the sound. After quite nice efforts, including a very good CD called Lucky (2008), Nada Surf prepared what seems to be their most mature and professional product, Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy.

Sadness to cheerful beats

Nada Surf recorded their seventh album in a studio, yet they did it playing live. The measure was taken to make the new songs sound as dynamic and emotional as possible. It’s no secret on stage musicians play faster and with more vigor than in a studio. Indeed, the fresh album’s opening track, Clear Eye Clouded Mind, is that very spark that sets the whole record afire. What should be mentioned is the excellent work done by bassist Daniel Lorka and drummer Ira Elliot who charged the entire album with incredible energy. Waiting For Something, Teenage Dreams, and The Moon Is Calling bring a sensation of drive that was absent on previous long players by Nada Surf. At the same time, the ensemble did not lose their trademark sentimentality. When I Was Young breaks the heart with soft fingerpicking and shines with nostalgia. Let The Fight Do The Fighting is another song where vocalist Mathew Cows speculates on time running out and experienced gained. After these two it gets clear that Nada Surf make it faster and louder not to tell the audience what they are now, but to remind themselves of what they used to be a long way back in time. The contrast, no doubt, makes the record more dramatic.

Album that should have come earlier

The basic version of Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy includes as few as ten songs with overall duration less than forty minutes. This brevity has its own attraction. A listener only has time to get to like the record, and then it is time to play it all from the start. Nada Surf’s new record offers not a single extra melody and produces not a single extra sound for everything is well thought through here, it starts and ends timely. However, those who do not want to put up with the given record may have an extended one, Starts Are Indifferent To Astronomy (Deluxe Version) with acoustic variants of most successful songs. Most listeners will definitely get on without these bonuses, but the ensemble’s most hard core supporters will find it a big pleasure to have the all. Anyway, Nada Surf, with almost twenty years into big music business, finally, released a record that the band should, probably, have released a lot earlier. It was evident from the very beginning that these musicians have a great potential. Well, better late than never.

Alex Bartholomew
06.02.2012