Interview with Matthew Caws of Nada Surf
I don’t know what I expected my conversation with Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws to be like, but I do know that I expected to be an awful lot more nervous than I actually was during our conversation. Caws is an affable kind of man, very laid-back and willing to chat about pretty much anything – as our conversation unfolded, we moved from the expected “What do you think of the new album?” question, to agreeing that life should imitate the deliberateness of video games, to shared confessions of a love for Jay-Z, Eminem and Timbaland (I know!) very quickly.
Much as I’d like to play this phone call off like Matthew and I are old friends having a particularly informative catch-up, this ain’t the case – Nada Surf has as a new album coming out on Barsuk Records on September 20, and damn, is it good. It’s called The Weight is a Gift, and it’s a great follow-up to 2003’s Let Go, capturing a similar tone, but embracing a more cohesive feel. As a whole, Weight is full of precisely constructed guitar pop, and lyrics that practically beg for interpretation.
As you might guess from the title, Weight refers to a sort of pressing emotional weight – and a weight, as Caws is quick to point out, that has nothing to do with the onslaught of critical praise showered on Let Go.
“The songs are letters to myself, in some sense,” Caws said. “But the album is in no way a reflection on the Let Go experience – except for ‘Blankest Year,’ and that song is pretty straightforward.”
No, this weight refers to something a little more common than the pressures of touring and critical acclaim. I asked Caws about some of his lyrics – “Do It Again” features line like “I spend all my energy walking upright,” and “maybe the weight was a gift/like I had to see what I could lift,” which led me to believe that these were mental notes from Caws to himself, reminders not to get bogged down in all the expectations and pressure in following up such an amazing album.
Caws set me straight – he told me that the songs are more about “a lack of deliberateness in [his] life. I make all sorts of lists, sometimes on the computer, or on post-its, or in notebooks, but before I even start, I lose the list, which was my whole mechanism for tackling life effectively.”
He went on to say “I wish life was more like a video game, with clear objectives and a definite goal—“
“Oh, like Zelda!” I enthusiastically interrupted him.
Long pause. “Yeah, kind of like Zelda, where you have to go through all the specific levels to get to the end,” Caws replied, sounding more than a little amused.
After completely embarrassing myself by exposing my Nintendo dorkitude, I hurriedly changed the subject, and asked what he’d been listening to while writing and working on the new album.
“Mostly Biggie Smalls, and some Timbaland,” he says. I am flabbergasted.
“I love Timbaland! I also love Jay-Z,” I confess to him.
“Oh, me too!” he excitedly says. “Have you seen ‘Fade to Black’?” [Jay-Z’s concert documentary film.]
“No! Is it good?” I asked.
He proceeded to tell me all about the documentary, and it turns out that we both share admiration for the same Jay-Z song (“Dirt off Your Shoulders”) and its kickass production (it turns out that the producer is the aforementioned Timbaland, a fact that I learned courtesy of Mr. Caws). After he revealed how much he enjoyed Biggie Smalls’ “cuddly voice,” we got on to the topic of ‘8 Mile,’ and the infamous battle scenes at the end of the movie.
“You know that would never happen – it’s like hyperreality,” Caws said. “But it makes you think about the inner-workings of the mind of a rapper. How do [they] do it? They’ve got to have a mathematical mind to be able to map lyrics out like that with no hesitation.”
Some of the same lack of hesitation apparently went into recording The Weight is a Gift, as Caws explained that many of the songs were written and finalized quickly, although other tracks took a long time to build out. This is why Caws is happy that Chris Walla [Death Cab for Cutie] produced the album.
“Chris is like an extra member of the band,” Caws stated. “He’s so enthusiastic, and great to work with because he’s almost like a mad scientist – he’s self-taught, and doesn’t have to answer to anyone.” He went on to describe Walla as the “idea guy” who often comes up with new parts for the songs; the “rainy, glittery piano” in the middle of “Imaginary Friends” is the result of an email collaboration on the song.
Although he acknowledges that every artist says the same thing about their newest release, Caws thinks that The Weight is a Gift is the band’s best work to date. After giving it multiple listens and having the chance to talk to Caws about it myself, I have to agree. It’s grown-up without being stuffy (for evidence, see the opening lines of “Blankest Year,” which read ‘Oh fuck it! / I’m gonna have a party!”), and sturdy without sacrificing melodic breeziness.
I closed out the interview by asking if Nada Surf ever played “Blonde on Blonde” during their shows, since I’ve never seen them live. “Oh yeah! I think we play that every time,” Caws replied, and promised to play it when the band comes to Boston on 10/8.
If this article hasn’t drummed the point into your head enough, here it goes for the last time: The Weight is a Gift is excellent. Mark your calendars for 9/20, and head right out and pick it up. You will not be disappointed.
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