Nada Surf

Opening with "Hi-Speed Soul" from its 2002 album Let Go, Nada Surf performed for a sold-out crowd in a live concert webcast for NPR.org. A wistful pop song that ponders the meaning of reality, "Hi-Speed Soul" set the tone for an evening of inspired, thoughtful rock as the New York trio shared old favorites and showcased work from its latest album, Lucky.

Countless one-hit wonders littered the alt-rock landscape in the mid-'90s, but some had far more staying power than they were given credit for. Today, after label woes and false starts, Nada Surf is doing better than ever. Hear the trio in an interview and performance from WXPN.

The alternative rock trio Nada Surf has just released their fourth album to great critical acclaim. The Weight is a Gift was produced by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla.

Naturally, no year-end music list can be definitive, just as it's impossible to rate a year in music using purely objective measures of quality. So here are the 10 albums that Song of the Day editor Stephen Thompson treasured the most in 2008.

Nada Surf singer Matthew Caws has one of the kindest voices in rock, but "See These Bones" finds the band opting to dispense its feel-goodery through a heart-swelling arrangement that builds power as it progresses through five glorious minutes.

Opening with "Hi-Speed Soul" from its 2002 album Let Go, Nada Surf performed for a sold-out crowd in a live concert webcast for NPR.org. A wistful pop song that ponders the meaning of reality, "Hi-Speed Soul" set the tone for an evening of inspired, thoughtful rock as the New York trio shared old favorites and showcased work from its latest album, Lucky.

On this edition of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen chats with NPR Music blogger and Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein, and music producer Stephen Thompson about the head-spinning number of bands they're most excited to see. Their chat is followed by an interview at the end of the show with Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig.

Naturally, no year-end music list can be definitive, just as it's impossible to rate a year in music using purely objective measures of quality. So here are the 10 albums that Song of the Day editor Stephen Thompson treasured the most in 2008.

Nada Surf singer Matthew Caws has one of the kindest voices in rock, but "See These Bones" finds the band opting to dispense its feel-goodery through a heart-swelling arrangement that builds power as it progresses through five glorious minutes.

Andy Langer, music critic for Esquire, looks at a rash of new records from dudes with guitars — surfer dudes, dudes with dreadlocks, Canadian dudes, and dudes who used to have dreadlocks.