Lucky (Limited Edition)

Let Go is one of my favourite albums, and I've kept an eye on Nada Surf since. The Weight is a Gift didn't quite match expectations, so I had high hopes for Lucky.
'See These Bones' is a great opener that ends with a three-way overlapping melody that sets the bar very high in the catchy stakes. 'Beautiful Beat' matches it for pop brilliance.
Elsewhere, 'The Fox' nicks Peter Buck's effects pedal circa Monster for some fuzzy distortion and a song that unfolds with repeated listens. 'Are You Lightning' and 'Weightless' also need to be heard a couple of times to really get them.
In all, those hopes are vindicated in part - this falls somewhere between the last two albums. There are some great songs, some more experimental directions, but nothing that really caught my attention the way Let Go did.

It's an unfair comparision maybe, Let Go Nada Surf's third proper album was sensational and they have now followed it with two albums which get nowhere near that level of consistent songwriting masterclass. However like The Weight is a Gift (their 4th album) Lucky does have a couple of comparable songs and on this occasion an album that feels more rounded than TWIAG.

The album opens with See These Bones, a song which has been available for download and streaming for a few months now. It is a great song but does feel rather awkward as an opener.

Whose Authority is next and will be a single. This feels very much like a TWIAG direction song albeit in a good way. Insanely catchy, an almost perfect three minute pop song.

Beautiful Beat takes a few listens but does eventually get inside your head. Neither a rocker or a ballad in my opinion, it floats along quite nicely without really reaching any great heights.

Here Goes Something is a slight tune, played mainly with acoustic guitar with Matthew Caws vocals very high in the mix. Once again, pleasant enough without really showing too much ambition.

Weightless is perhaps the one song to really sit up and take note of. On initial listens it didn't blow me away but the more I took in, the better it got. Guitars crash alongside a brilliant vocal. Some people have said this recaptures Nada Surf's early sounds from the mid 90's, but I don't necessarily agree. It is just a brilliant song. The middle vocal part with voice and a quiet backing is just awesome and then kicks in again. I defy anybody to not be blown away by this song.

Are You Lightning is another slight tune with a country feel to it. Once again and like many of the songs on Lucky, Caws vocals are high in the mix and he responds with a perfect delivery showing a newly found confidence in his often underrated vocal style. Very sweet.

I Like What You Say should be familiar to most Nada Surf fans having appeared on the soundtrack to the film John Tucker Must Die. This is a newly recorded version which some fans have found fault with but I think it improves on the original and deserves it's choice as first single off the album. Very very catchy.

From Now On kicks in from the start and is a nice rocker in a similar style to Imaginary Friends off TWIAG. Whilst not rounded enough to be considered for a single (in my opinion) it is classic pop Nada Surf style and is one of the best songs on the album.

Ice On The Wing is another song which threatens greatness and doesn't really deliver. A well constructed and sung verse is followed by a relatively weak chorus. Shame, as it has so much promise.

The Fox is going to split the fans opinions I reckon. On first listen I didn't get it at all. It sounded too much like they were trying to hard to be different but once again, repeat playing will draw you in and then you will appreciate just how great the song is. The middle vocal part (Beachy Head) is fantastic. An ambitious effort which does work, it just might need a few listens.

The Film Did Not Go Round is a nice closer. Simple, acoustic guitar against heart felt vocals.

To sum up I believe Nada Surf have improved on their last album, The Weight is a Gift. Whilst that album had 4 or 5 great songs on it, the rest were pretty average and spoilt the flow of the album.
Lucky follows a similar vein with once again 4, 5, maybe 6 great songs (See The Bones, Whose Authority, Weightless, I Like What You Say, From Now On, The Fox) but the others are never throw away.
Whilst never reaching the heights of Let Go, or for that matter The Proximity Effect (2nd album) Nada Surf continue to produce albums which although bringing nothing new to any particular music genre, do have you tapping your feet and singing along to yourself. Surely, that is what makes a great band?

If this is your first Nada Surf album and you like it, may I suggest immediate review of their back catalogue. With Lucky you are catching a band producing solid albums whilst never quite recapturing past glories. They should never have been so great in the first place.....

I have been following Nada Surf for some time.The band has grown up and the energetic rawness of their earlier stuff (much of it good I might add) has been replaced with a smoother sound with smoother vocals. The band has evolved and this is their best and most consistent composition to date. Not a bad song on the album. See These bones and Beatiful Beat (Police like) are instant smashes with the listener but the stand out song for me is "Are you Lighning" which smootches at a slower pace but is one you will want to join in with at the end and hear again.