When Nada Surf sings, “Beautiful beat get me out of this mess/Beautiful beat lift me up from distress,” they’re likely speaking for a lot of us overly-obsessed pop music aficionados. Admit it. How often do we wish music would act like a powerful pain killer or, worse still, the anointed hand of a TV faith healer? But it’s just music, people! Ah, but we’re so quick to ascribe supernatural powers to simple pop tunes, believing them to contain attributes well beyond their means. If there were a melodic equivalent to the Bat Signal, bet your last jukebox quarter we’d use it. Nothing on Nada Surf’s enjoyable Lucky disc will get you out of any serious messes (at least I don’t think so). It also won’t lift you out of distress, unless you’re merely in need of an aural pick-me-up, in which case it’s just what the doctor ordered. Everything on this CD is melodically right on target, although some are more melodically correct than others. “Here Goes Something” reminds of the faux country-rock The Monkees once worked up, while “Are You Lightning?” is a dreamier-than-dreamy ballad where lead singer Matthew Caws sings it over gently plunked piano. Nothing ever gets too loud, although “I Like What You Say” features the sort of revved up, guitar-led chorus Tom Petty might be proud to call his own. With Lucky, we’re fortunate to have beautiful words and even prettier melodies...along with those beautiful beats.
-- Dan MacIntosh
