Nada Surf and The Raveonettes deliver lackluster lineups
Both Nada Surf and The Raveonettes released new albums this month and while they have charming aspects, neither one is going to sweep anyone off of their feet.
Nada Surf, described on allmusic.com as a “nerd rock revival” band akin to Weezer and Cake, released its fifth album on Barsuk Records.
The band has definitely grown up in sound and lyrical sincerity. Their hit “Popular” from their EP “High/ Low” delivered ironic high school bashing lyrics that dripped with angst.
After 12 years, it seems natural that their sound should mature. Their whiny rock roots have been replaced with a mainstream alternative rock sound that most people can listen to. Lyrics about high school drama have been swapped with ones about heartbreak, drug use and life’s hardships.
For listeners and fans, it may be comforting to know that the irony in their music has not faded. With lyrics like, “Sometimes all I want is another drink or another pill/ If I could get anything done maybe I’d hold still,” it is easy to think the band has chosen to keep their attitude intact.
The album does have nice versatility between driving rock songs and acoustic heartbreakers. It suits the needs of many listeners across most generalized rock genres; it just sounds too similar to many bands.
The Raveonettes, on the other hand, have an extremely distinctive style. The band’s newest album, “Lust Lust Lust”, will be released on Feb. 19 on Vice Records.
The music is so distinctive some might find it irritating. This is not an album to play at a college get-together, where the constant fuzzy guitar sounds and eerie harmonizing may very well persuade a drunken linebacker to snap the stereo in half.
The band holds strange criteria for their writing, and maybe it’s the elements they exclude that make them so good, or so unbearable. When creating their debut album “Whip It On” the band required that all their songs be in Bb minor, surrounded by only three chords and less than three minutes long, according to Allmusic.com.
The new album “Lust Lust Lust” strays from this eclectic formula, but not too far. Each song sounds relatively the same, with the same staccato singing style and long stretches of guitar feedback. Instead of variety, the album seems like it is a broken record.
The tracks can only be described as an episode of “Teletubbies”, where the same words, images and sounds are repeated over and over. Unfortunately, The Raveonettes were aiming for a listening audience over the age of two, so this may be an issue in the areas of attention spans and levels of intelligence.
This album may suit the tastes of some. It may have enough dark beats and cutesy vocals that people can dance to it and reminisce about Jesus and Mary Chain in its glory days. However, having an echoing duo sing, “I know that you want the candy” can get old. Fast.
Hopefully people had more success this week falling in love with each other than with these albums. As far as The Raveonettes and Nada Surf are concerned, many won’t call for second date.
Contact Campus Press Staff Reporter Carolyn Michaels at carolyn.michaels@colorado.edu.
