Yes, I’m an asshole. I’m sure you already know that. But since you’re not one of the voices in my head, and thus unaware of what I’m rambling on about today, I probably should enunciate why exactly I’m saying this. See, I downloaded the new Death Cab For Cutie album, and I hate it. Not the CD (which is actually pretty good), but the fact that I listened to it before it was released- especially after I read that it was going to be released on Monday. Am I that impatient that I can’t wait 48 hours to hear Ben Gibbard’s you-just-know-he-wears-glasses warble (which I’m kind of jealous of.)? Will something so dramatic and heartbreaking to happen to me this weekend that I needed a White Bread soundtrack to accompany it ?
To celebrate the release, here are my thoughts on each song. As an added bonus, they’re the same length are their audio counterparts. For example, the first song is 5.18, so my thoughts are 51 words long.
Just think, you’d never have to hear me talk at length again if nobody made songs over one minute long!
Songs about dead authors are good. So are songs about the futility of trying to find answers. So that makes this some of Gibbard’s most inspired and personal writing yet.
The Apprepiated guitars and a polished sheen, make this is the closest thing to a trademarked Death Cab song that one could find.
I Will Possess Your Heart.
Shit. Ninety six words. Well, what it is with Ben Gibbard? You know, everyone says he’s a pussy, but look at the titles of DCFC’s last two singles: I Will Follow You Into the Dark and I Will Possess Your Heart. Okay, so they’re clingy as a sweaty Clay Aiken wearing a suit of Superglue (take that 2001!), but they’re also dominating. “I Will”. Make no mistake, Mr Gibbard is on some alpha male shit.
Now, I like sensitive cum tough guys initiating Phish anyday of the week. But 9 Minutes? It’s a little too long…
For me. Ha. It’s separate. Take that word count!
No Sunlight.
This is a tangent, but I’ve said (to myself) countless times that the Piano riffs from Darkness On The Edge Of Town made it a masterpiece.
Cath
Songs about fleeting female fame are a dime a dozen (or should that be a dame a dozen. HA!). Not many have had such a catchy riff and a sympathetic and relatable core. Blah.
Talking Bird
I think this song was written about Nile Crane’s bird named Baby. Specifically the episode where he ruins his owner’s dinner party by saying inappropriate things. Ben Gibbard secretly loves Frasier.
Discuss.
You Can Do Better
First bit sounds like a little like the Beach Boys. If the Beach Boys didn’t write about surfboards and fucking girls who were underage. True story,
Grapevine Fires
A song about a
*Seriously, I liked Field Manual. Don’t hurt me Chris!
Your New Twin Sized Bed
You know what I like about Death Cab? The way that they tell their stories. That and their upbeat yet sad brand of pop music is the cheapest way of self medication that exists.
PS: Great guitar line. Love you Chris
Long Division
You know what I don’t like about Death Cab? The fact that this song drive down the line between heartfelt and corny. And it’s been drinking (and it’s driving one handed.).
Pity and Fear
This feels different to everything else on the album. Maybe it’s the drums (African. So hot right now) or the jump-about lyrics.
The Ice Is Getting Thinner.
I could give a fuck what Rolling Stone say. This is a sweet analogy that perfectly sums up the subject. It meanders through to the closing of the album with a heart heavy with sentimentality. And that’s what Death Cab is all about.
Now that’s finished I don’t know what to think about Narrow Stairs. It’s a good CD, but it’s not the change that was promised. Think of it as more an evolution by tiny degrees. It’s the pot of water whose temperature is slowly being increased- and we’re not quite aware that Death Cab is cooking us until we wonder what that delicious smell is (also our legs are blistered.). It’s certainly the heaviest record they’re made, and Narrow Stairs is as much a lesson of judicial use of noise for other musicians as it is warmhearted collection of songs with a sentimental streak a mile long.
It’s not an Under The Blacklight or an Evil Urges (Holy shivers. Album of the year right now) That’s not necessarily a problem- Death Cab has always been a band that’s had a dependable (though not quite totally predictable sound.). Most of the songs on Stairs would have fit in perfectly on Chords or Transatlantisicm¸ and ultimately, their mix of reliability and slow burning change makes them a band that creates endearing and beautiful music.
The name itself is perhaps most indicative of what Death Cab achieved with Narrow Stairs. They’re not rushing up the stairs of change, and that’s good, because for every band that make it, there are ten who fall face first into a pile of badly timed revolutions.
No comments:
Post a Comment