Information AboutNada Surf |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT NADA SURF | |
| musical groups established in 1992 | |
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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 ( Drum s, Backup Vocals ) and Daniel Lorca ( Bass , Backup Vocals ). The band is 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 Japan / 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, whose working title is Time For Plan A and which should be released in January 2008. Nada Surf should also be on tour during the fall of 2007. A few titles have begun to filter: ''Ice on the Wing'', ''Here Goes Something'', ''I Like What You Say''. BIOGRAPHY Nada Surf was formed in the early nineties by . 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 leaves the band in january 1995 and is replaced by Ira Elliot , former drummer of the Fuzztones (1984-1985), a very active band of the eighties NYC scene, whose fans included Matthew and Daniel. They had always wanted play with him, but wanted to achieve a higher level before asking him. Ira's arrival into Nada Surf is a founding event, as since then, Matthew and Daniel's ambition is greatly improved, in order the keep him in the band. So, when meeting former is in the works. Actually, the negociations with Elektra didn't go smoothly, so Ric also connected them to Maverick Records , and the band flew to L.A. for an audition which was quite hectic, as Matthew had the flu, and they had to rent gear. Here's his report back then Matthew's diary on the early days of the band :
High/Low is mastered in january 1996, 10 songs being completed in 19 days (recording included). The recording is paid for by Elektra, before the band signs its contract on january 18, 1996. 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 . Follows a legal battle to get the rights over The Proximity Effect , ending in 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 3-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, Time For Plan A , expected in january 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 influent teenager radio station. 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 sarcasticaly 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''." Nada Surf could have easily (and perhaps more profitably) defended the heterosexual intent of their music without ever defending homoeroticism. Instead, the band refused to ignore homophobia. Singles
Other releases
Films, games, TV programmes and adverts soundtracks
Covers
BIBLIOGRAPHY The Hyperspace-Perspective in the Lyrics of Nada Surf {Link without Title} , by ''Christian Auinger''. Doctorate in anglo-american language study, University of Vienna - 2005 EXTERNAL LINKS
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