Test Spins: Lucky

Since their 1996 cult hit “Popular” hit radio stations back when FM was good, Nada Surf has proven time and again they aren’t just another Marcy Playground. On Lucky, the band’s latest release, guitarist and vocalist Matthew Caws croons about loneliness and lost love. The album’s breadth and sonic dynamism keep Caws’ lyrics from sounding, well, too much like the One Tree Hill soundtrack. On the upbeat “Ice On The Wing,” a seemingly out of place brass section calmly brings the track to a close. The next song, “The Fox,” opens with an eerie and uber-reverberated guitar rift that ends with a healthy dose of jumbled string and guitar. One cannot help but feel simultaneously disoriented and satisfied. Sure, the band has filled its trademark for supreme catchiness with “Weightless” and “I Like What You Say.” But Nada Surf’s flair for the eclectic ensures that Lucky is their most interesting album to date.