Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Artist profile:
Death Cab For Cutie
Release Date: 12/05/08
Label: Atlantic Records
Rating: ****
In an arena where new bands come and go, and where if a band hasn't 'made it' six months after it's inception, it's considered not worthy or old news, it's nice to see the UK music media kindly welcoming a nine-year-old band from Washington state with their sixth studio album. As if they had a choice. For Death Cab For Cutie's new album 'Narrow Stairs' is not only a departure from their earlier work, it's a departure from indie in general. It's groundbreaking yet familiar, far reaching yet reflective, and in the eight-minute long 'I Will Possess Your Heart' has a candidate for song of the year.
Before this album DCFC were a mainstream American indie act of middling size, with a loyal fan base. Think Weezer's quieter and more consistent younger brother. There wasa charm and a little cleverness to songs like 'Crooked Teeth' and 'Transatlanticism', but nothing remarkable. What they always had was Ben Gibbard's beautiful high voice and in 'Narrow Stairs' this is used to it's maximum potential.
A good example of this departure is the first song, 'Bixby Canyon Bridge'. Quiet, considered, melodic and more introspective than a colonoscopy, it's closer to Gibbard’s side project The Postal Service than the usual DCFC fare. Gibbard was quoted as saying it's more 'in space' than any record Death Cab have made before, and while this is quite obvious with the Ziggy Stardust style effects and the isolated, distant atmosphere of certain songs on 'Narrow Stairs', what it also brings is lively power pop with real substance.
How difficult is it to develop isolating, thoughtful songs throughout an album? Very. It takes a special selection of songs to make you want to hide in a far and dark room away from everything, just to put it on, close your eyes and surround yourself in it. 'Grace' by Buckley, 'OK Computer' by Radiohead, 'Think Tank' by Blur to some extent all had these qualities, but that's about as frequent as it gets, which makes this album quite an achievement.
'I Will Possess Your Heart' is the second song of the album, and has a driving bassline that slowly builds up to a fantastic opening verse. How slowly? It's more than 4 minutes 30 seconds before any words are uttered, but it's perfectly weighted and gives a hypnotic feel to one of the smartest indie songs in a while. This is the kind of heartfelt, meaningful, experimentally brave yet catchy stuff Coldplay wish they crafted on their latest album.
Other songs wrestling your attention and massaging your temples into happy jelly are 'Grapevine Fires', the penultimate track 'Pity And Fear', and excellent closing song 'The Ice Is Getting Thinner'. All of these songs have that timeless, almost inhuman quality to them. In a word, they're beautiful.
But 'Narrow Stairs' isn't without it's faults (which is why it has four stars instead of five). The livelier poppy songs are a little hit and miss. 'No Sunlight' is a reasonably upbeat song in the Powderfinger-sexually-abusing-Feeder -in-the-kitchen-during-a-dinner-partykind of way, but it's unwelcomingly jolly and sounds plainly trivial straight after the monstrosity that is 'I Will Possess Your Heart'. 'Cath...' lacks any kind of personality, and 'You Can Do Better Than Me' is nothing more than a Beach Boys tribute, but when it's followed by the spine-tingling 'Grapevine Fires' all is forgiven. They go from average modern American indie to timeless singer-songwriter reverie in the time it takes you to press 'skip'.
But as a unit, 'Narrow Stairs' is still an excellent piece of work. Some of the songs in here will be long time favourites. They've had a massive amount of acclaim and sales in America for this effort, and British musical institutions have long ago brought the wood, nails and wheels needed for the Death Cab bandwagon. Join them. They deserve it.
Muhammad Odeh
Death Cab For Cutie Myspace
Death Cab For Cutie Official Site
Buy Death Cab For Cutie CDs | Buy Death Cab For Cutie mp3s | Buy Death Cab For Cutie Tickets | Buy Death Cab For Cutie Merch
Release Date: 12/05/08
Label: Atlantic Records
Rating: ****
In an arena where new bands come and go, and where if a band hasn't 'made it' six months after it's inception, it's considered not worthy or old news, it's nice to see the UK music media kindly welcoming a nine-year-old band from Washington state with their sixth studio album. As if they had a choice. For Death Cab For Cutie's new album 'Narrow Stairs' is not only a departure from their earlier work, it's a departure from indie in general. It's groundbreaking yet familiar, far reaching yet reflective, and in the eight-minute long 'I Will Possess Your Heart' has a candidate for song of the year.
Before this album DCFC were a mainstream American indie act of middling size, with a loyal fan base. Think Weezer's quieter and more consistent younger brother. There wasa charm and a little cleverness to songs like 'Crooked Teeth' and 'Transatlanticism', but nothing remarkable. What they always had was Ben Gibbard's beautiful high voice and in 'Narrow Stairs' this is used to it's maximum potential.
A good example of this departure is the first song, 'Bixby Canyon Bridge'. Quiet, considered, melodic and more introspective than a colonoscopy, it's closer to Gibbard’s side project The Postal Service than the usual DCFC fare. Gibbard was quoted as saying it's more 'in space' than any record Death Cab have made before, and while this is quite obvious with the Ziggy Stardust style effects and the isolated, distant atmosphere of certain songs on 'Narrow Stairs', what it also brings is lively power pop with real substance.
How difficult is it to develop isolating, thoughtful songs throughout an album? Very. It takes a special selection of songs to make you want to hide in a far and dark room away from everything, just to put it on, close your eyes and surround yourself in it. 'Grace' by Buckley, 'OK Computer' by Radiohead, 'Think Tank' by Blur to some extent all had these qualities, but that's about as frequent as it gets, which makes this album quite an achievement.
'I Will Possess Your Heart' is the second song of the album, and has a driving bassline that slowly builds up to a fantastic opening verse. How slowly? It's more than 4 minutes 30 seconds before any words are uttered, but it's perfectly weighted and gives a hypnotic feel to one of the smartest indie songs in a while. This is the kind of heartfelt, meaningful, experimentally brave yet catchy stuff Coldplay wish they crafted on their latest album.
Other songs wrestling your attention and massaging your temples into happy jelly are 'Grapevine Fires', the penultimate track 'Pity And Fear', and excellent closing song 'The Ice Is Getting Thinner'. All of these songs have that timeless, almost inhuman quality to them. In a word, they're beautiful.
But 'Narrow Stairs' isn't without it's faults (which is why it has four stars instead of five). The livelier poppy songs are a little hit and miss. 'No Sunlight' is a reasonably upbeat song in the Powderfinger-sexually-abusing-Feeder -in-the-kitchen-during-a-dinner-partykind of way, but it's unwelcomingly jolly and sounds plainly trivial straight after the monstrosity that is 'I Will Possess Your Heart'. 'Cath...' lacks any kind of personality, and 'You Can Do Better Than Me' is nothing more than a Beach Boys tribute, but when it's followed by the spine-tingling 'Grapevine Fires' all is forgiven. They go from average modern American indie to timeless singer-songwriter reverie in the time it takes you to press 'skip'.
But as a unit, 'Narrow Stairs' is still an excellent piece of work. Some of the songs in here will be long time favourites. They've had a massive amount of acclaim and sales in America for this effort, and British musical institutions have long ago brought the wood, nails and wheels needed for the Death Cab bandwagon. Join them. They deserve it.
Muhammad Odeh
Death Cab For Cutie Myspace
Death Cab For Cutie Official Site
Buy Death Cab For Cutie CDs | Buy Death Cab For Cutie mp3s | Buy Death Cab For Cutie Tickets | Buy Death Cab For Cutie Merch
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