After dalliances with the mainstream, line-up changes and major label disputes in the mid-nineties, alt rock three-piece Nada Surf have experienced a creative renaissance recently, recast as unsung cult icons. 　　 等待已久的新专辑，至今依然会回味Nada Surf的上张专辑《Lucky》。如果算上2010年他们发行的翻唱专辑《If I Had A Hi-Fi》,新专辑《The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy》就是他们的第7张专辑。“ 　　  　　The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy”这个名字起的有韵味。主唱也表示，平时在现场演出时总是快节奏摇滚，而在录音室他们则保持慢工出细活的态度，平静而不焦躁。身边的灵感可以触发任何好东西的诞生，Nada Surf 捕捉的很恰当。 　　  　　  　　Nada Surf’s new album 　　Their sixth studio album, released on City Slang Records to minimal fanfare takes its title from a phrase beloved of singer Matthew Caws’ father. In a sense, it serves as a neat summary of the band’s situation in their 18th year. 　　  　　They are seemingly indifferent to their standing in the rock canon – an unthinkable attitude during the days of their arch, proto-hipster anthem “Popular” – yet they are making some of the best music of their career, perhaps as a direct result. 　　  　　The songs on display here are pure panoramic pop, such as a more carefree Foo Fighters and some “Free All Angels” (Ash). There’s even a hint of Phoenix’s Gallic insouciance in the effortless melodies and arrangements. Singer-Guitarist Caws may not have the strongest voice but his wide-eyed delivery and exuberance manages to sell even the most standard power-pop arrangement. The band have alluded to their desire to capture on record the enthusiasm whipped up when playing a new song together for the first time and nowhere is this more apparent than on blistering opener “Clear Eye Clouded Mind”. 　　  　　Elsewhere, first single “When I Was Young” starts off as an acoustic number reminiscent of Big Star or the Go-Betweens, before teetering into a full-blown shoegaze epic, Caws repeating “what was that world I was dreaming of?” in a bittersweet ode to more innocent times. 　　  　　After such a fantastic start, the album inevitably starts to flag around the midway point. Apart from the surprise trumpet clarion on the lounge-y “Let The Fight Do The Fighting”, the instrumentals hardly stray from the standard rock set-up, inducing involuntary listener fatigue. It’s all very stirring and generally pleasant – and “Teenage Dreams” is a line I think we can all get behind. It’s not until the final track “The Future” that Nada Surf scale the heights of the first few tracks, ending on a definite high. Overall, a solid, occasionally spectacular outing which won’t trouble their status as rock outsiders – you get the feeling they wouldn’t have it any other way.