Nada Surf

It’s not every day you hear somebody singing about the aerial patterns of fruit flies. And at first, the quirky, meditative, guitar/vocal intro of “Fruit Fly” seems as directionless as one of those little winged insects. Then, singer Matthew Caws gets to the point: “I’m sorry, you have no place to go.” Suddenly, the rest of the trio kicks in, forcefully underscoring the connection Caws draws between fruit flies and people. The tune, it’s understood, was right on target from the get-go. It’s a moment of Zen-like appreciation for simple, resonant beauty, and Let Go’s guitar-pop is filled with them: the sweet, spare melody of “Blonde on Blonde”; the straight-ahead beat of “Hi-Speed Soul,” which takes on a poignancy as the song evolves from pop rock to funk; and lines such as “All I am is / A body floating downwind” from “Paper Boats.” It’s here that Caws and company find their center.