Seems like it’s been awhile since I’ve cut up one of these sessions, but there’s no better reason to pick up the habit again than a Nada Surf appearance on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic.

The new record, Lucky, has crept up on me. Certainly it’s what you’d expect from a Nada Surf album: catchy melodies with sing-along choruses. But the band’s unabashed positive spirit comes through stronger than ever; hell, singer Matthew Caws (or, at least, I’m assuming it’s Caws) writes a treatise on the word “lucky” in the liner notes. It’s either the hokiest thing you’ve ever read or the most uplifting. It all depends on your outlook, and I suppose that’s the point the band is trying to get across on this record: Are you appreciative of what you have or do you take it for granted?

At the very least, we can be thankful the band made exquisite use of liner notes, a lost art in our digital world.

Remember: Nada Surf and Sea Wolf at the Clubhouse in Tempe on March 17 (tickets).

A quick note about this set: See These Bones, the final song they played, faded out before conclusion, so I didn’t include it here. You might try streaming this performance (with interview) at KCRW Web site. (I got it from the podcast.)

Nada Surf on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, 2/5/08:

1. Whose Authority.
2. Weightless.
3. Ice on the Wing.
4. I Like What You Say.
5. Are You Lightning?
6. Here Goes Something.
7. Beautiful Beat.