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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Let Go
by Nada Surf


9.4

based on 11 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 31 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

One-hit wonders, you say? Well, the New York trio did score an MTV hit with "Popular," from their 1996 debut album, but it is a more mature and less commercial Nada Surf that returns now with a third LP, their first for indie label Barsuk.

LABEL:	Barsuk
RELEASE DATE:	04 February 2003
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Indie, Alternative, Rock

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Entertainment Weekly

A dozen near-perfect pop songs, each one teeming with joyful desperation.

Magnet

A near-perfect record to hold onto with all the might you can muster. [#58, p.103]

All Music Guide

Layer after layer of preconceived notions and excess noise are stripped away to unveil both soft-spoken charm and intense newfound confidence.

Alternative Press

Nears indie-pop perfection. [Feb 2003, p.70]

Rolling Stone

Let Go is an excellent rainy-afternoon album, full of gentle and melancholic beauty, with echoes of Love and the Beach Boys.

Mojo

Wheel reinvention, it ain't, but for insidious, emotionally overblown ear candy, Let Go hits a real sweet spot. [Nov 2002, p.113]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Virtually every song on Let Go hits its mark in one way or another, dispensing consistently remarkable moments that range from the sweet minor-key swoon of "Blizzard Of '77" and "Neither Heaven Nor Space" to the sleek, bouncy new wave of "Hi-Speed Soul."

Q Magazine

A more mature mix of intelligent guitar tunes and acoustic noodling. [Oct 2002, p.113]

Blender

This wistful, road-trip nostalgia-pop is the sound of alt-rock after the gold rush. [#14, p.141]

Pitchfork

Let Go's only plausible use is to forcibly expose us to mid-90s alt-rock in the context of today so that we might come to grips with just how damn crappy it sounds.

Stylus Magazine

This record is Weezer-lite, emo-lite, corporate radio, MOR rock junk.

The average user rating for this album is 9.4 (out of 10) based on 31 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Mike F gave it a9:
Beautiful record. Pitchfork can suck a dick for all I care.

CJ D. gave it a10:
Rob Mitchem, what a friggin DB. Does he even write for PF anymore?

Rick F gave it a10:
Awesome record. Can't get enough of it. By the way, the guys at Pitchfork.com wouldn't know good rock records if they stroked their cocks for 'em.

Rob A gave it a9:
I'm making this post in May 2006 to say -- WOW, Nada Surf has really held up their end of the bargain. This album is amazing and they've kept the pace with each successive release. I can only pray that Pitchfork is looking back on their short-sighted, downright obnoxious review from 3 years ago and realizes what total idiots they are. Long live Nada Surf!

Mike L gave it a9:
I'm not a huge nada surf fan. In fact, I stumbled onto this album by accident, but it grabbed me, pulled me in, and made me fall in love with it. Pop songs that truly captivate, rather than just pass the time.

alexander c gave it a10:
the best cd by the best band ever.... sorry to sound like a little MTV baby, but its true

butch bob gave it a10:
this album has done it for me. it never has let me down. i can just let go.

Let Go by Nada Surf

Let Go
by Nada Surf