The long awaited new album, "Let Go" reveals a band that is more mature.  The boys have grown up, and Let Go has a melodic core not found on their previous efforts.  "Inside of Love" is absolutely gorgeous, as an ethereal vocal melody soars over a driving acoustic guitars and percussion.  Tracks like "Fruit Fly" are offer intimacy rarely found in popular music, as vocalist Matthew Caws sings a simple verse over stark acoustic guitar.  But hold on, moments later a gust of rhythm and percussion propels the tune into a rousing rock anthem.   "Blonde on Blonde," the album's best track, will leave you with the CD player on "repeat" mode.  The chorus, "I've got blonde on blonde on my portable stereo, it's a lullaby from a giant radio," will super-glue itself into your head for days.

The band cranks up the electric guitars for the energetic rocker "Hi-Speed Soul," then slows the pace again on the atmospheric "Killian's Red." "The Way You Wear Your Head" is good clean fun, with it's fiery 4/4 beat and sing-along chorus.  Sometimes the band sounds as if they might be entering Coldplay or OK Computer territory with tracks like "Neither Heaven Nor Space," but the songs all seem to rise above the comparison.   "Treading Water" is a stunning rocker that should send shivers up the spine of any serious fan of the genre.  The closer, "Paper Boats" begins as a mellow, mature pop song, then slowly transforms into a strong, emotionally complex tune.

Let Go won't be fully understood by the teenage crowd, as it is often mellow, insightful, and forgoes all modern recording clichés.  Those that hoped for a straight-ahead rock album will be disappointed.  But for the fan of highly personal, emotional music, Nada Surf have created a masterpiece of the early 21st century.

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