|
‘BETTER late than never’ is a phrase I always drag
out when I find a brilliant band who have been around
for ages and promptly rush out to buy their back-catalogue
in a pathetic attempt to catch up on what I’ve missed.
Not many bands inspire such wanton monetary abandon,
but Nada Surf are one of them.
Since their debut EP High/Low was released in
1996 and hit single Popular became a regular
feature of MTV, Nada Surf have been beavering away at
their singular brand of indie rock pop, pummelling it
to perfection across Europe and the States. Three things
struck me about them. First, bass player, guitarist
and drummer look like they have been extracted from
very different bands and thrown together for an impromptu
jam, with spectacular results.
To our right, we have jovial guitarist/vocalist Matthew
Caws, sporting indie barnet and NYC garage punk
style glad rags, with a voice to match.
Spaced-out dreadlocked Mick Hucknall-alike Daniel Lorca
plays bass and sings when he’s not smoking, but in true
Rasta style can do all three things at once, while swaying
to the rhythm of some seriously groovy basslines. And
neater-than-neat drummer Ira Elliot brings up the rear
like a cheeky jazz freestyler, head-bobbing with glee
for most of the set.
Second, longevity as a threesome makes them gel into
a three-man note-perfect melody-making machine, with
enough musical zeal to explain why Let Go was
mastered by Howie Weinberg of Clash/Nirvana
fame.
Third, they don’t skimp on anything. Like the contemporaries
they name check on their website (Guided by Voices,
Flaming Lips, Teenage Fanclub), Nada Surf offer
more than your average chord-bashing rock band.
Intelligent but not highbrow, loud but sensitive, and
most of all the bearers of a bunch of really great songs,
the list of three can be summed up in words: Nada Surf
rock.
Just in case you couldn't catch them in the UK, you
can fly out to the states to get a little of them there.
Here's some upcoming tour dates for ya:
5/16/03 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
5/17/03 Atlanta, GA @ TBA
5/19/03 Houston, TX @ Fat Cats
5/20/03 Austin, TX @ Emo's
5/21/03 Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Tea Room
5/22/03 Little Rock, AR @ Vino's
5/23/03 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
5/24/03 Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
5/25/03 Minneapolis, MN @ Ascot Room
5/27/03 Columbus, OH @ Little Brothers
5/28/03 Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
5/29/03 Toronto, ONT @ Horseshoe
5/30/03 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa
5/31/03 Ottawa, ON @ Babylon
6/1/03 Quebec City, QC @ Kashmir
6/4/03 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's
Downloads:
High
Speed Soul - mp3
 |
|
| |
| |
