Death Cab for Cutie
Narrow Stairs (Atlantic)
By Michelle Carlton
Published: May 19th, 2008 | 12:40pm
The second major-label release from Death Cab for Cutie features all the melodies and melancholy that came standard on the band's past releases, but with a little more darkness and a lot more noise. Not only has the instrumentation grown more complex since their 2005 album Plans (Atlantic), but now Death Cab has perfected a lyrical straightforwardness rarely seen in alternative rock today. Narrow Stairs opens with "Bixby Canyon Bridge," an ode to lead singer Ben Gibbard's idol, Jack Kerouac. While writing songs for this record, Gibbard sought inspiration in the same California shack where Kerouac wrote his novel, Big Sur. "Bixby Canyon Bridge" shows the singer's ultimate disappointment in learning that following in his hero's footsteps doesn't necessarily mean gaining the same inspiration: "And the silence, it became so very clear/ That you had long ago disappeared/ I cursed myself for being surprised/ That this didn't play like it did in my mind."
"Bixby Canyon Bridge" is hardly the only track on Narrow Stairs that centers around one specific scene or emotion. While in the past Death Cab's lyrics have often swayed toward the big
picture, the songs here deal primarily in snippets and glimpses. Lyrics focus in on a poignant thought for a few lingering moments, letting each flesh itself out and then moving on to the next. The
album's tracks explore the optimism of childhood versus the dark reality of adulthood ("No Sunlight"), the pain of refurbishing your life after a failed relationship ("Your New Twin Sized Bed"), and the desperate pleas of a man convinced that his love will return the sentiment if only she'd spend a little more time with him ("I Will Possess Your Heart").
Above all, Death Cab's latest attempt proves this is one indie-rock band that refuses to let its songs blend together. Each track on Narrow Stairs showcases a different sound, unique instrumentation, and original (albeit less-than-optimistic) emotions. Whether it's an entire song or a single resonating lyric, any listener will find something to love here.
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Death Cab for Cutie's website
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