Nada Surf
 

One time I thought popular was a pretty funny song and so I bought an album called high/low and then I thought damn this is some good music I wish everyone knew how tight this album is but everyone is too busy lolling at popular and forgetting to check the album out.

The plan is just like popular but better/not funny.

And then I heard some other nada surf that I thought was lame so I didn't see their show in vancouver when I had a chance.

And now I like the new nada surf and I kick myself hard.

Hi speed soul is a really good new order song.

Edit: Then I bought 2 more copies of high/low because you can find this so easy in a pawn shop and I gave one to my girlfriend and I don't know if she likes it.

*sigh*...

The reason I ask really is because a lot of high/low contains a lot of sonic youth elements, which I consider to be well integrated into a much "pop"ier song structure. There is some stuff on here I find interesting, though others might find it a rip off or even just boring.

i borrowed the album popular was off, it didnt really grab me to be honest.

...listened to nada surf on several occasions....i liked a couple songs...but they sound too much like slightly less enjoyable Shins or Rogue Wave stuff...and I dont even listen to those bands either....though that one Shins song from Garden State is really really good...

Just got given "The Proximity Effect" for my birthday.

Still can't believe nobody digs these guys. They've got such amazing catchy brilliant songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBRyJp9qgeA

I'm a big fan of that 90's crappy alternative rock stuff, like Toadies and Nada Surf.. so yeah.. dig em.

I've always lumped Nada Surf in the rest of the self-described "geek rock" bullshit like Weezer and Fountains of Wayne. I can do without that garbage. I remember my brother telling me how all the popular kids were loving "Popular" when it came out because they were all "above it" or something.

I find all that shit pretty boring and patronizing.

popular = dumb alternative rock = brilliant song.

I can't compare fountains of wayne because I haven't heard it (except that one horrible song), but I'd say the weezer comparison is fair. But I hate weezer. I find them boring and useless, and I think a lot of girls like them because they are soooo cute.

Nada Surf is probably a similar vein to weezer, but so much better. Weezer is a whole lot of repeated power chords and monotone vocals and bass lines that follow said repeated power chords. Nada surf has melodic basslines, interesting guitar tone, and good choruses. I've been subjected to a lot of weezer, and it bores the piss out of me.

I get the Nada Surf comparison, and it bugs me because I think the band is lumped under that boring mellow alt rock thing. They have more going for them.

there are few albums that are better than pinkerton and the blue album.

and just for that, weezer > nada surf.

The blue album, specifically, is what I'm refering to ;)

I used to like it alright, but I find it dead boring now. Oh well, my point is only that there is enough difference between Nada Surf and Weezer for me to love one and dislike the other.

well yeah, of course; you can ove one band and not be into another even if they are in neighboring genres or whatever.

haha yeah Nada Surf were lumped in with that whole post grunge 96-97 period just before nu-metal exploded, where you had bands like Tripping Daisy, Failure, Bush, Gin Blossoms, Smashmouth, 311 and etc etc

Weezer are by far one of the best bands of all time. Blue and Pinkerton alone are better than most any album I can think of right now... better than most of Sonic Youth's output by far. Everything after that was boring and predictable, but it wasn't BAD, just not the godhead of those first two albums. To not enjoy Weezer is not enjoy brilliant songwriting and amaizng melodies and etc etc etc. So, whatever. And I don't know a single person who thinks Weezer is cute. A few girls may find Rivers cute, but the rest of the band are ugly weirdos.

don't forget collective soul, candlebox, sponge, echobelly, brother cane, who all released some amazing songs.

and yeah tripping daisy > polyphonic spree

although they might not have been internationally promoted very well, Tripping Daisy were pretty big locally in Dallas since about '93. I couldn't call them post grunge, because it was pretty much in full swing when they started.

hell, some of their best performances were when they played Mudhoney covers at keg parties before they were even Tripping Daisy. haha


on topic: I really liked high/low. to me, it sounded more like the Pixies than anything else (just my opinion), but I don't have anything else by them.

I saw them open up for Sparklehorse last August and they were kind of boring, although it might have just been because it was ACL week.

collective soul - hints, allegations, and things left unsaid.

the seco nd album i ever bought (first being in utero). damn i liked some shitty music. (referring to nirvana, of course; collective soul ruled! "LET'S GEL!!")

I know this is just you trying to spark controversy, but you must be retarded.

they had an amazing run of singles: shine, gel, the world i know, untitled, simple, precious declarations, listen.


fuck, i forgot live, live rules!!! i so totally went to see them live, they did one of the crappiest versions of "imagine" i've ever heard but they slayed with their own shit!

haha Live! Yuk!! Actually that track Lukini's Juice or whatev is pretty cool but I thought they sounded like a more generic Crash Test Dummies.

There was a time when I thought Lightening Crashes was the worst song in the world. Probably is too..

Haha and what about Reef! ''oooo place your hands!!...."

lightning crashes is their worst song, actually that album that has that song is very dull, very bad. but mental jewelry, secret samandhi (the one with lukini's juice) and the distance to here are amazing.

reef!!! don't let me start on britpop bands!!! terrorvision, 3 colors red, china drum, ocean colour scene...actually, of those i liked reef, terrorvision and a bit of 3 colors red, ocs were godawful.

plus, there's good alterna raadio grunge bands and there were very awful ones, hootie and the blowfish and crash test dummies come to mind.

The proximity effect is a masterpiece, Let go is good and The weight is a gift sucks.

They've at least written 80 windows, one of the best pop songs ever: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uc9L2-2LReU

They also did a great cover of Siouxsie's Arabian knights at Angoulême.

That's interesting you like that selection of albums. I find that they are pretty much 2 different bands on High/Low and The weight is a gift. Their high/lowness gets either slowly contaminated by, or gradually evolves into (depending how you look at it) the weight is a gift.

Luckily I like both those albums, so I like everything in between.

What do you think of High/Low?

My girlfriend seems to have no interest for high/low, very little interest for proximity effect (except bad best friend which is undoubtedly the most "weight is a gift" song), she's just got into let go but it took her a bit and the weight is a gift is amazing to her. So it seems almost like she's got the complete opposite opinion,

That is if you like high/low. Does this theory make any sense?

I think it's ok, with standout tracks like Stalemate and Hollywood. Not on a par at all with The proximity effect and Let go though.

Yes. High/low lacks melodies a bit while The weight is a gift is on the contrary too mellow and poppy. I think the Proximity effect and the best songs of Let go have the perfect balance between rock and pop.

I got into Nada about a year ago due to my ex playing the shit out of it. I still don't own a cd though.

Do you have Proximity Effect with bonus tracks? One of the two bonuses is fantastic.

No, thanks for the info :cool:

Yet you slam on the production of various Sonic Youth albums whenever given the opportunity...very curious.

what the hell does shitty, muddy production have to do with good songs?!