The Proximity Effect

by

Nada Surf

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Wow, this album is so awesome and one of the best albums I have ever listened to. I learned of Nada Surf from their mid-90's radio hits "Popular" and "Treehouse" from the album High-Low. About 8 years went by where I totally forgot about the band, but then when I was in my downloading of 90's hits craze almost two years ago, I downloaded the songs "Popular" and "Treehouse," eventually followed by "The Plan" and "Stalemate" which were secondary hits of theirs. Soon, I was addicted and got as much of Nada Surf's stuff I could. Once I heard this album, I couldn't beleive how great it was. I read many reviews in the media that this album was their lowest selling and biggest dissapointment. WHAT THE HELL? That shows you how ignorant the media is because all they listen for is mainstream garbage. If you want to hear radio hits get High-Low because this album is much more unique and has such a variety.

The first song, "Hyperspace" is a great and catchy song and a good start to the album. It is really unlike their previous stuff in the sense that it is more indie sounding. It is not the best song on the album, but it is still a supurb song. The second track, "Amateur" is the self-proclaimed "single" from the album. I beleive this song got some radio play in the UK. It is a cool song with a really cool chorus and has a cool temp change near the middle. The third track, "80 Windows" is definitly one of the best on the album. It is a softer song with the greatest lyrics; it has so much meaning to it. The fourth song, "Mother's Day" is also one of my favorites and one of the heavier songs on the album. It is more of a comic song than serious and the ending is really funny (Blue balls and all that bull****, blue balls and all that bull****!). The 5th song, "Troublemaker" is a very unique song. When I first heard the album I never gave this song a chance at all. However, I actually listened to it and the more I did the more it grew on me. It is one of the most emotional songs I have ever heard and has a great tune and probably the 2nd best on the album. Now track six, "Bacardi" is by far the best song on the album and one of the best songs I have ever heard from any band. I go against everything I believe (my belief that nothing is perfect) by giving "Bacardi" a 10/10, but it is just that good! It is so heavy, has wicked bass guitar, and a major temp change towards the end. It is about the after-effects of partying, something I can definitly relate to. It is such a feel good song that gets you pumped up as hell. The seventh track, "Bad Best Friend" is another really good song, but is probably the least good song on the CD. It has more of a poppy tune and the lyrics aren't something I relate with. The eighth song, "Dispossession" is a song that was one of my favorites when I first heard the album, but was surpassed by almost all of the other songs. It is a good heavy song with an interesting chorus. Moving on, "The Voices" is one of my favorite tracks. It just has an all around good melody. "Firecracker," track ten, is also one of the best songs on the album. It is the only song on the album Nada Surf made a video for (I think) and I think it was also a single from the album. The song definitly makes sense and I can relate to it. "Slow Down," the next song is probably the most underestimated song on the album. When I first heard it, I didn't like it that much. But, WOW, is it good. Another one of the best songs on the album (notice a pattern?). The following song and track twelve, "Robot" is the original last song of the original release of the album. The lyrics are quite interesting and it has a real nice tune. It is also the longest track on the album. This version is much better than the less heavy version on North 6th Street. The final two tracks are two songs that were included on the re-release of the album in the U.S. "Silent Fighting," track thirteen, is an old b-side (from the High-Low era) which has not been re-recorded. It is a great song though with a really catch meldoy. I also really like the lyrics. The final track "Spooky" is so freaking awesome. The original version of this song was later released on North 6th Street and isn't as good. This version, however, is really cool and some of the lyrics have been changed up. I beleive this track was a b-side to this album. Anyways, this album is definitly one that should be picked up by anyone who just likes good music. I could see people who are into punk to soft slow alternative getting into this album.