Nada Surf is an American alternative rock / indie rock group formed in 1992. The New York band consists of Matthew Caws (guitar, vocals), Ira Elliot (drums, backup vocals) and Daniel Lorca (bass, backup vocals).
The band is perhaps best-known for the song "Popular" from their 1996 album
High/Low. (see the dedicated section below).
Each of the verses in "Popular" presents, in spoken word format, sarcastic advice to teens. Initially offered in a calm, deadpan voice, the lyrics gradually build Kinison-style in teen angst and rage.
The follow-up effort,
The Proximity Effect, failed to garner much attention. The band explains on their official website:
Nada Surf recorded The Proximity Effect in 1998 with Fred Maher (Luna, Lou Reed, Matthew Sweet). It was a mighty fine record. Elektra, claiming they "didn?t hear a single," asked the band to go back in the studio to hunt for one. As this was months after they?d handed the record in, the band refused and were dropped. It?s pretty safe to say, though, that Elektra didn?t appear to be "listening" very hard. The Proximity Effect was released as scheduled in Europe. Critics loved it and fans bought it. Elektra still didn?t care, but the band did. So after wrestling the rights back, Nada Surf released The Proximity Effect stateside in 2000 on their own label, MarDev Records, and toured accordingly...
After a four-year break, the group released
Let Go through Barsuk Records to positive reviews. The song "Inside of Love" received some airplay and even reached number 73 in the United Kingdom, a feat which neither "Popular" nor the other two previously released singles from
Let Go achieved. On the strength of the single, the album reached number 31 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.
The band's fourth album,
The Weight Is a Gift, was released in Germany on September 5, 2005, by City Slang Records, September 12 in Japanand Australia and September 13 in the US by Barsuk, and in the rest of Europe, September 19 by V2/City Slang. It was produced by Chris Walla of the band Death Cab for Cutie, Louie Lino, and Nada Surf. The album's lead single is "Always Love."
After touring for one year after the release of
The Weight Is a Gift, the band went back to the studio in March 2007, in Seattle, at the Robert Lang Studios, under the direction of producer John Goodmanson, to record its fifth album,
Lucky, which will be released on February 5, 2008. Nada Surf should also be on tour during the fall of 2007.
On October 12 2007, the band issued a statement announcing their fifth album,
Lucky.
Biography
Early Years
Nada Surf was formed in the early nineties by Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca. Both met in Le Lycée Français de New York (USA) and spent some of their childhood in France and Belgium. They played in many bands, including The Cost of Living and Because Because Because. Their first drummer was called
Dan, later alluded to in the song
The Plan (High/Low). Dan is then replaced by Aaron Conte, with whom the band records its first 7" :
The Plan/Telescope (1994/Stickboy), as well as the demo tape
Tafkans, the raw version of High/Low. Those raw versions are later released on their second 7",
Deeper Well/Pressure Free (1995/Deep Elm Records), on the Karmic EP and on North 6th Street.
Aaron left the band in January 1995 and was replaced by Ira Elliot, former drummer of the Fuzztones (1984-1985), a very active band of the eighties NYC scene, of whom both Matthew and Daniel were fans. Matthew And Daniel had always intended on inviting him to join, but wanted to wait until they improved as musicians. Ira's arrival infused a new energy into the band; Matthew and Daniel's ambitions greatly increased, partly to ensure Ira stayed with the band.
After a show at the Knitting Factory, Nada Surf met former Cars, and Weezer producer, Ric Ocasek. With little hope, they presented him with a copy of
Tafkans. Three weeks later, Ric called back with news of his intention to produce the band's album. At the same time, the band was finalizing a contract with Elektra, through an executive, Terry Tolkin, who was working for its indie branch, No.6 Records, on which Karmic had been released in 1995.
Negotiations with Elektra did not pan out, so Ric connected the band with Maverick Records. The band flew to L.A. for a hectic audition; Matthew had the flu, and they had to rent gear.
[ Matthew's diary on the early days of the band]High/Low was mastered in January 1996, 10 songs being completed in 19 days (recording included). The recording had been paid for by Elektra, before the band signed its contract on January 18, 1996.
Major period
During the summer 1996, Nada Surf tours the USA with Superdrag, and
Popular becomes an anthem, and crosses the Atlantic. Nada Surf then conquers Europe, where The Proximity Effect is released in September 1998, produced by Fred Maher. Actually, their record label, thinking it lacks a hit such as
Popular on this album, has the band recording many covers, including
Black & White (The dBs) and
Why Are You So Mean To Me? (Vitreous Humor), in order to use it as a single. But tired of the requirements of the art director, Nada Surf, judging the album is complete and perfect as it is (Elektra even suggests to include an acoustic version of
Popular), and breaks its contract. As a consequence, this album isn't release on the US market, and while the band is on a promotional tour in Europe, Elektra drops them. Despite these events, this album is critically acclaimed in France, where the band makes a 30-show tour in march 1999.
Independent period
Follows a legal battle to get the rights over The Proximity Effect, ending in the year 2000, allowing the band to release the album in August 2000 on their own label:
MarDev, named after Matthew's maternal grandmother, Margaret Devereux Lippitt, daughter of the painter Margaret Walthour Lippitt. Now, they have to rebuild a fanbase in North America, which is done after a few months of intensive touring.
During this three-year forced break (1999-2002), the band members take a regular day job, Matthew working at a nearby record-store, Daniel working on some computer projects, and Ira doing drums and guitar sessions for other artists. Caws would later refer to these times as a period of luxury.
In 2001, they record most of the songs from Let Go, produced by their friends Louis Lino and Chris Fudurich, who had engineered The Proximity Effect. They pay them with $1 and $5 bills, the money earned with the selling of merchandising during their tours. Let Go is also critically acclaimed, and the
Inside of Love single gets a decent airplay. They earn a reputation of
good songwriters. Although many critics perceive it as an expression of the NYC post 9-11 melancholy, Let Go has been written before these events. This is a stepping point for the band, which could for the first time work pressure free, with no art director to satisfy, and unleashing their creativity. Their fans, very active online, wait for many months its release, constantly delayed, but the final result greatly compensates for the frustration accumulated over the years. As usual, the release is followed by many months of touring, including many European festivals in the summer 2003.
Finally, after 10 years of labor, Nada Surf is successful on both sides of the Atlantic, and not only in Europe. Indeed, their fourth album,
The Weight Is a Gift' (produced by Chris Walla, among others) gets a large audience, with the single
Always Love. The frame of mind in the writing of this opus is different, as they have to work with more pressure. And songwriter Matthew Caws, who then faces tough times, takes music as an escape from his personal difficulties.
Nada Surf finished touring for
The Weight Is a Gift in October 2006, and has worked since then on its fifth LP, Lucky, expected on February 5, 2008. They have recorded in the Robert Lang Studios, in Seattle, in March and August 2007, under the direction of producer John Goodmanson.
Discography
(see
this page for a more detailed listing)
Studio albums
Other records
Popular
Popular is nada surf's first single, released in June 1996, which made them well-known over the world. The song reached number 11 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and propelled the album to number 63 on the Billboard 200. "Popular" was also a big hit in France, reaching the Top 10 with a total chart run of 15 consecutive weeks in the French Top 50.It was also used in France in a TV commercial for the radio station Fun Radio, which was then the most influential radio station among teenagers.The whole song, except for the chorus, is made of parts of a book,
Penny's Guide to Teen-Age Charm and Popularity (Gloria Winters, 1964, Prentice Hall), whose advice are taken sarcastically by Matthew Caws. Those parts are spoken, and not sung.
Video and controversy
The video for this song, directed by Jesse Peretz, was shot at the
Bayonne High School, with administration approval, and showed football players and cheerleaders, wearing the uniforms of the school, as well as the three members of the band, Matthew as a teacher, Daniel as a security guard, and Ira as the football coach.The vice principal of the High School later launched a controversy, in mid-August 1996, by raising the issue that the last scene, which shows football players staring suggestively at each other in the showers, was homoerotic and thus offensive towards Bayonne High School, as it suggested some of its football players could be gay.
According to Nada Surf, the shower scene was never intended to suggest homosexuality. Indeed, both the song's lyrics and the bulk of the video's imagery are predominantly — and blatantly — heterosexual. The video features passionate, heterosexual kissing scenes, for example, which go well beyond any "
suggestive" smiles that so offended the vice principal.
Significantly, the band members quickly took exception to this homophobic attack. During an
MTV News report on the controversy, Nada Surf lambasted the vice principal's ignorance — calling the vice principal "small minded" for singling out "homoeroticism as more offensive than straight eroticism".
Singles
- The Plan/Telescope (1994 - 7")
- Deeper Well/Pressure Free (1995 - 7")
- Popular (1996)
- Treehouse (1996)
- Deeper Well (1996)
- Zen Brain (1997 - French version, promotional release)
- Why Are You So Mean To Me? (1998 - promotional release)
- Firecracker (1998 - promotional release)
- Hyperspace (1998 - promotional release)
- Mother's Day (1998 - promotional release)
- 80 Windows (1998 - test pressing)
- The Way You Wear Your Head (2002)
- Inside of Love (2002)
- Blonde on Blonde (2002 - 7", promotional release)
- Hi-Speed Soul (2003)
- L'aventurier (2003)
- Always Love (2005)
- Imaginary Friends (2005 - promotional release)
- Blankest Year (2005 - promotional release)
Other releases
- Where Is My Mind? Tribute to the Pixies (Contributing Where Is My Mind?) - Glue Factory - 1999
- A Brooklyn-Based Compilation (compilation track) - Arena Rock Recording Co. - 2001
- Mix 2 (compilation track) - Editing Wea Records - 2004
- Future Soundtrack for America (compilation track) - Barsuk - 2004
- Love Rocks (compilation track) - Human Rights Campaign/Centaur Entertainment - 2005
Films, games, TV programs and adverts soundtracks
- Nada Surf performed the 'Kitty Cat Song' used as the theme tune for the Catz 2006 PC game, officially titled 'Meow Meow Lullaby Remix'. The song was written by Matthew Caws, Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca, recorded by Tom Beajour at The Nuthouse, published by Songs as Pets (BMI)/Karmacode (ASCAP) with additional Vocals from Lianne Smith. Nada Surf appeared courtesy of Barsuk Records, by arrangement with Bank Robber Music.
- Nada Surf covered The Beatles' classic "All You Need is Love" in 2006. The cover was featured in a Chase Credit Card television commercial in the U.S.
- The song "Blonde on Blonde" from Let Go is featured during the opening and end credits to the 2004 coming of age German film Sommersturm (Summer Storm). "Blonde on Blonde" is also featured in the 2004 John Travolta film, A Love Song for Bobby Long, and in the TV show Six Feet Under.
- "What is Your Secret" from The Weight Is A Gift, was featured in "A New Light", episode 3 of the ABC series Six Degrees (10/05/06).
- Nada Surf recorded a cover of the classic 80s song "If You Leave" by OMD for the television program The O.C. The song played during a prominent scene in which Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) shares an emotional goodbye with Anna Stern (Samaire Armstrong). This scene was a tribute to the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink, in which the OMD version of the song originally appeared.
- Nada Surf's songs Inside Of Love and Always Love are featured in the television show One Tree Hill. Inside Of Love was played in season 1 episode 13, when Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) kisses Peyton (Hilarie Burton) and Always Love was played in season 3 episode 3. "Inside Of Love" was also featured in the first season of the television show How I Met Your Mother.
- "Always Love" is featured on the soundtrack to Disturbia (2007) and has been played on "CW"'s "One Tree Hill".
- "Zen Brain" is featured in the German movie Nichts Bereuen (2001).
- "Hyperspace" is featured in the German movie The Edukators (2004).
- The band appears playing "Concrete Bed" in the episode 56, Return of the Future, of One Tree Hill (1/18/2006), and they are part of the plot.
- Nada Surf's song "I Like What You Say" is featured in the 2006 film "John Tucker Must Die"
- Nada Surf's song "Weightless", from their upcoming album Lucky, premiered in the 30th episode (season 2, episode 7, Out of Time) of the NBC TV show Heroes, on november 6, 2007, and will appear on its original soundtrack.
Covers
- Nada Surf play the title track of the Pixies tribute album, Where Is My Mind?.
- Daniel and Matthew went to school at the Lycée Français de New York and also spent time in France and Belgium as children. They have been influenced by French culture, and the band has recorded cover versions of Alain Souchon's song "La p'tite Bill est malade", Indochine's "L'Aventurier", and Françoise Hardy's "Au Fond d'un Rêve Doré"
- ?Always Love? was covered by the band America, a group most well-known for their success during the 1970s which released its first major-label album in over 20 years in 2006. Matthew and Ira from Nada Surf were guest musicians on the album.
- The band has covered the Stooges song "I'm Sick of You" for the Iggy Pop tribute album, We Will Fall.
- They have covered the song "Blue Moon" for the Big Star tribute.
- Nada Surf covered The Smiths' classic "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" for a BBC6 tribute operation, featuring Ed Harcourt on keyboard. They subsequently included it to their set lists.
Bibliography
The Hyperspace-Perspective in the Lyrics of Nada Surf [1], by
Christian Auinger. Doctorate in anglo-American language study, University of Vienna - 2005
External links
Footnotes
Musical groups established in 1992New York musical groups
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