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Nada Surf and Ozma
SNAP-AND-CRACKLE POP



Just as you can often tell a lot about people from a quick glance at their CD collection, cover tunes can reveal quite a bit about a rock band. That was certainly true last Friday night, when two very different yet compatible guitar pop outfits teamed up to rile up a capacity crowd downstairs at the Middle East. The NYC-based trio Nada Surf — the show’s headliner — highlighted their own penchant for cleverly crafted melodies and smart, poetic lyrics by offering their take on the Smiths’ "There Is a Light that Never Goes Out," while the quirkier Pasadena-bred fivesome Ozma (who replaced the Tyde as the opening act) hit their stride with a punked-up version of a traditional Russian folk song ("Korobeiniki") from their 2001 album The Doubble Donkey Disc (Kung Fu).

Ozma, who have released three albums since 1995, got their biggest break when Weezer took them on tour two years ago. And it’s easy to see (and hear) what Rivers Cuomo found appealing about the band: their indie-geek looks and combination of muscular guitars and melodic hooks are right up Weezer’s alley, particularly on big rock anthems like "Domino Effect." But Ozma have a few tuneful tricks of their own: the slow-building tune "Utsukushii Shibuya," from Ozma’s newest album, Spending Time on the Borderline (Kung Fu), opens with multi-instrumentalist Star Wick offsetting the twin guitar attack of Jose Galvez and Ryan Sleger, first with a pretty flute melody and then polished electric keyboard chordings. Then it was back to Weezerish rock for "Wake Up," a propulsive, thick-riffed, tempo-shifting rocker accented with high harmonies, and dedicated by the band to Boston’s own Piebald.

Nada Surf, who themselves were identified with Weezer early on in their career, opened their set on a mellow note, and closed it that way too. Indeed, much of the set drew heavily from their latest CD, 2002’s Let Go (Barsuk), an album that eschews big Weezery riffs for a more refined pop sound. The gentle opener, "Blizzard of ’77," with its jangly guitar, laid-back groove, and slick harmonies, typified the new sound of Nada Surf. They got their rock on during the harder-hitting "Amateur" and "Fruit Fly," but the mood dimmed again for the mournful "Paper Boats," full of hovering bass, light guitar, and richly harmonized vocals.

 

BY SARAH TOMLINSON

Issue Date: October 3 - 9, 2003
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