Remember Nada Surf? Well, maybe it's hard to remember the band per se, but how about its one hit, the nerd anthem, "Popular?"

Ok, got it. Well, let go. The band's new album, Let Go, sounds nothing like it. "Popular" was a catchy, tongue-in-cheek pop-punk masterpiece.

Let Go is an overly dramatic emo record that has only a few redeeming moments.

Granted, Let Go shows the band has matured. The first track, "Blizzard of '77," whisks the listener in an envelope of acoustic guitars that gently mimics the beauty of falling snow. It's one of the best on the album, and putting it as the opener was a good move. The song is very mellow and mid-tempo -- too bad the rest of the album's rhythms are about the same.

The sappy "Inside of Love" whines about hooking up with unknown girls late at night, abusing drugs and watching too much TV. It sounds as if Nada Surf has gotten over high school and moved on to college-related problems. While the start of the song has some substance, the chorus is so syrupy it may induce vomiting.

"I wanna know what it's like on the inside of love/ standing at the gates I see the beauty above," lead singer Matthew Caws laments.

The album's finest moment is the last track, the aptly-titled "Paper Boats." The band shows that it can perfectly showcase Caws' melancholy musings with a gentle ballad-like approach.

The rest of the album name drops everything from beer ("Killian's Red") to a Bob Dylan masterpiece ("Blonde on Blonde") and uses Brian Wilson harmonies, sweeping production and slide guitar. It's really too bad the band can't create even a mediocre post-modern mix of these clearly good elements. If Nada Surf's members were chefs, they probably would use the entire spice rack to make the blandest recipe ever.

--Reviewed by Caleb Sheaffer