DeViCom CD-Review: Nada Surf

High/Low / Aug. 23, 1996 / Elektra (075596191326)

Nada Surf explores the middle ground between the ironic indie-rock of Pavement and the mainstream punk-pop of Weezer. With such a high concept, it's inevitable that the record wouldn't fufill its musical goals, even when it was directed by a skilled producer like Ric Ocasek. The problem is, Nada Surf's hooks aren't catchy enough to make their smirky, ironic lyrics tolerable. Even when they come up with a solid riff, they undercut it with studied, unnecessary dissonance — they don't know how to harness the power of white noise, unlike Pavement, Sonic Youth, and Nirvana. There is potential on High/Low, the band's first major label release, but none of the songs come close to fulfilling that potential.