Released June 8, 2010
Nada Surf came out of New York City wayyyyyy back in 1995, and can trace its roots back a few more years, to 1992, when a couple of members first started to play together. 1995 was the time when Fuzztones drummer Ira Elliot joined the band. Shortly afterward, the band connected with former Cars frontman turned producer, Ric Ocasek, who had already had success as a producer with the band Weezer, and they signed a contract with Elektra Records.
The Elektra relationship didn't last long, but the one with Ocasek was the one that really mattered, and ultimately the band created their first album High/Low in 1996. That album produced the band's first hit, the summer anthem Popular (see video here). It was a blessing and something of a bane. The band became very popular in England, but had trouble getting a foothold in the American psyche. After they spent some time in the British Isles, the band returned to the States to less than enthralling reviews. They were - in the eyes of their homeland's critics - one hit wonders and nothing to get too excited about.
In 2003 the band struck gold again - eliminating the one hit wonder status for good - with the release of the acclaimed album Let Go, an effort labeled by some as a "masterpiece" and saw Rolling Stone magazine somewhat a-gush with praise for the band.
Still, their popularity overseas continued to be much greater than in the United States. The band's present tour reflects that: From January to March of 2011, they'll primarily be in Europe - with two trips to London just a month apart, and a handful of appearances in the US (Seattle, Portland and New York City essentially) before heading back across the Atlantic to their throng of fans that will await them!
2010 saw the release of the album If I Had A Wi-Fi, a collection of ten covers by the band of songs that they especially liked. This one, Enjoy The Silence, originally by the 80's band Depeche Mode (take a listen and view the video from those early MTV days here), is similar to the Paisley Park cover in that Nada Surf's rendition has the tempo cranked up a notch and they have made it a rendition that is all their own. It's similar enough that it's obviously what it is, but at the same time, it's different enough that it doesn't become all that obvious or even familiar until you've listened to the song for a few moments. At least that's what happened to me! When I first heard the song - the usual 30-second snippet on iTunes that starts part-way throug hthe song - it didn't hit me right away that it was a cover of the 80's hit...but then the lyrics and the way they were sung started sounding more and more familiar until the realization el-kabonged me in the head!
So, Nada Surf (a phrase said by disappointed board riders?) continues to look for that "big hit" in the States. But their success elsewhere leads me to believe they aren't holding their breath...and they don't need to!
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