Nada Surf - Lucky

Barsuk Records
Published February 21, 2008  by Jason Lewis in Record Reviews

You would be hard-pressed to find an American band who wear their hearts on their sleeves as effectively as Nada Surf. That was never more evident than on their 2005 tour de force The Weight is a Gift, a record so good one can hardly imagine a followup that matches it. Surprisingly, Lucky comes pretty close. Loaded with mid-tempo pop anthems, the fifth studio album from these former MTV buzz-bin faves is built solidly on Matthew Cawes’s heartfelt lyrics and sweet singsong delivery. He has an uncanny ability to turn a phrase, open the emotional floodgates and yet avoid torrents of syrup. Musically, the rest of the band is at the top of their game. Whether it’s a cascading rock waltz (“Weightless”), a straight-up rocker (“Ice is Growing on the Wing”) or a trademark Nada Surf chug-fest (“Whose Authority”), there isn’t a note out of place. For any other band, Lucky would be a masterwork, but Nada Surf’s back catalogue offers stiff competition. Still, graded on its own, Lucky is nothing short of a brilliant album.



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