![]() Taking some sharp turns throughout the album, much like we do in our thoughts throughout the day, Nada Surf emerges refreshed and calm, with renewed understanding. ![]() His ability to convey the details of a moment or emotion through tone and watchfully meandering melody compliments the steady bass lines and reliable drums. It ruffles the sheets and forces the listener to consider and contend with these very issues that are a part of each of our days, to ride the plateau out to much-needed solace and completion.Ĭaws’ voice is honest, at times downcast, illustrious, and always authentic. If only for its pride in enduring and coming through and out of ugly times, the songs are multi-layered, and approach emotions from different angles, or head on, therein honoring its title. That degree of candor begets the vulnerability that Caws jokes about, but it does more than that. The album is quite insightful and revealing, though to some-as there will always be-it could come off a bit “sad-sack” (Caws admits as much in jest). Thematically, Lucky is at the same time accessible and (at times) majestic, confronting the identifiable issues of love, fallibility, and reverence through means of reflection and metaphor that Caws has cultivated uniquely and expertly since 1998’s The Proximity Effect. “ to enter that world because it seemed to so perfect,” he reflects. “All of my favorite moments in my teen years were discovering records and… putting my head close to the speakers and listening to them really loud.” The ability to lose himself in the melodies seems to have been cathartic and encouraging, allowing him to construct realities outside of his own. The importance of music- as much for Caws and Nada Surf as many of us- accompanied him throughout his youth and had a great presence. ![]() “I loved the singing I loved that feeling of everybody doing it at once.” Feeding off of the energy created, says Caws, “Some of those melodies are incredible.” Holidays in North Carolina to visit his Episcopalian grandmother landed Caws in church every Sunday. So, it comes with so much guilt,” he continues candidly. “I’ve always been more of a daydreamer, and though daydreaming is a wonderful thing to do, just being lost in your mind, it doesn’t do much for the practical side of your life. Because when you do know, when you’ve had a taste of it, I wonder if it then colors normal moments in a less exciting way,” he answers. “I wonder, maybe, not to be conscious of the fact that one can feel rapturous would be a blessing. “I’m always looking for rapture in music.” He answered rather delicately, considering his words carefully. I came across something Caws had said in a previous interview, and wanted him to elaborate. That synergy and awareness always seems contribute to making songs worth listening to and literature worth reading. It’s almost daunting, but definitely amazing, to think that 10 or 20 kernels of reflection eventually become complete, full songs with graceful handling and hard work from the trinity that has created such stunning work in the past. Some kind of thematic or melodic idea has to be born at home before I bring it down. “What’s hard about that,” he explains, “is that for some reason it’s hard for me to just stick a melodic and lyrical idea on top of a riff we’re playing. Impending deadlines and working together can both help and detract from the creative process. ![]() ![]() “I’ve had sort of varying things on my mind and I’ve been really productive, except that I’ve been writing tons of tiny songs.” I spoke to vocalist/guitarist Matthew Caws in early January about the innards of Lucky: “I haven’t been coming in with whole songs lately because I’ve had had a pretty fractured life the last few years,” he observes regarding his writing process. That caution, however, is nestled between achievements-collective and individual-that peek at the listener throughout the album, and the relief that comes after enduring the ascents and nadirs of everyday life. Brave? Yes! With their website all prettied up and leaning on the comfort of an astral theme, the boys seem to be approaching Lucky with caution. However, two weeks earlier, they opted to give listeners the opportunity to sample their wares by streaming it via their Myspace page. New York’s indie darlings Nada Surf formally released their newest album, Lucky, on February 5 th on Barsuk Records. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |