if i had a hi-fi + Nada Surf’s Spring dates
Nada Surf bring their trademark sense of harmony & musical craftsmanship to 12 of their favorite songs with their latest release, if i had a hi-fi, their 1st album of covers. Only a group with their wide-ranging & eclectic taste could bring songs from such artists as Kate Bush, Dwight Twilley & the Go-Betweens together into a coherent, intelligent record. hi-fi also includes some intriguingly obscure numbers like Spanish band Mecromina’s “Evolution” & Bill Fox’s power-pop “Electrocution.”
Although a great deal of thought went into the song selections, the band’s intent is not to make an overarching musical statement. Singer-guitarist Matthew Caws says, “We really just wanted to do it organically, whatever we felt like covering in the moment, rather than trying to sum up our influences or something. It’s whatever we were excited about in the months before making it. And I think we got to everything we wanted to.” The result is both inspired & casual, like a conversation with a friend who shares your taste but also pushes your musical boundaries. A vintage Moody Blues tune, the proto-prog tempo-shifting “Question,” shares space with The Soft Pack’s blissfully rudimentary “Bright Side,” Depeche Mode’s grand “Enjoy the Silence,” & experimental music icon Arthur Russell’s terse but sweet “Janine.”
Although the band had just returned from a worldwide tour in support of their 2008 release Lucky, & had looked forward to some time off, if i had a hi-fi mysteriously reenergized them. “The material came together spontaneously,” says Caws. “We’d get together and kick ideas around and soon we had an A list, a B list, a C list…. .” They’re particularly proud of the title, which is both a callback to the musical platform of their youth & a palindrome.
if i had a hi-fi was recorded over 3 weeks in September at Resonate Studios in Austin, TX with long-time collaborator & part-time keyboardist Louie Lino. Fans who attend shows during the spring tour will be able to get their hands on the record before it’s in stores, offering true believers the opportunity for a double-first: hearing the songs for the first time & being able to take them home.
The tour begins March 25th with 3 “Album Shows” in NYC. On consecutive nights, Nada Surf will perform their 3 most recent albums: Let Go, The Weight Is A Gift, & Lucky in full, along with songs from if i had a hi-fi, fan favorites & b-sides. The band will then continue on to cover both the East & West coasts. All dates after the jump.
There is a Fan pre-sale for most US shows at http://nadasurf.musictoday.com
“See These Bones” | download
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March:
- 25 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom (“Let Go”)
26 Brooklyn, NY – Bell House (“The Weight is a Gift”)
27 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg (“Lucky”)
29 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
30 Montreal, QC – Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour
31 Northampton, MA – Pearl Street
April:
- 01 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
02 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
03 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
13 London, UK – ICA
15 France – Printemps de Bourges Festival
17 France – Strasbourg Artefact Festival
18 Utrecht, Holland – Tivoli De Helling
19 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique
20 Cologne, Germany – Gloria
21 Lausanne, Switzerland – D! Club
23 Zurich, Switzerland – Abart
24 Vienna, Austria – WUK
25 Prague, Czech Republic – Lucerna Music Bar
26 Berlin, Germany – Lido
27 Hamburg, Germany – Knust
28 Paris, France – Trabendo
29 Madrid, Spain – Joy Eslava
30 Murcia, Spain – Estrella Levante SOS 4.8 Festival
May:
- 01 Galicia, Spain – Villagarcia de arosa
15 Longirod, Switzerland – Long’l'rock Festival
24 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
25 West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
27 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
29 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
