After spending the better part of a decade in the musical minor leagues, Death Cab for Cutie went pro with 2005's Plans, a record whose optimism and Technicolor sound gave the band enough leverage to finally enter the mainstream. "Soul Meets Body" became their biggest rock single to date, but it was Ben Gibbard's delicate love song, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark," that earned the quartet a Grammy nomination and legions of new fans. Some bands might have taken a cue from such success and resigned themselves to a career of acoustic ballads, not unlike the Goo Goo Dolls' transformation in the mid-'90s. But Narrow Stairs roughs up Plans' bright palette with something starker, more harrowing, and altogether darkened by Gibbard's blues. No longer crooning about immortal love or his desire to embrace all of Manhattan, the frontman lives inside his own troubled head on these 11 tracks -- or at least the heads of the characters he conjures up with ease, like some music-minded novelist with a knack for pop melodies and witty observations. There's "Cath," an ill-married girl who "holds a smile like someone would hold a crying child," as well as the creepy stalker in "I Will Possess Your Heart," who simply demands that his intended lover give him the time of day. Elsewhere, Gibbard examines a friend's recent heartbreak by referencing her bedroom furniture ("Your New Twin Sized Bed"), offering up his concern -- if not quite his help -- while the band conjures up a lazy summer's day with gauzy keyboards and brightly chiming riffs. Such contrast between music and text plays an occasional role on Narrow Stairs, with songs like "No Sunlight" and "Long Division" pairing somber lyrics with upbeat orchestration. But the album largely paints itself as the darker, mysterious cousin to Plans -- raw rather than polished, heartbroken rather than optimistic, enigmatic rather than energetic. Gibbard strings his words together with an army of free-flowing "ands" and "buts", and the resulting lyrics -- long, uncoiling sentences with no clear end -- mirror his characters' desperate attitudes. Narrow Stairs is far from desperate, however, and the album's willingness to steer Death Cab into unfamiliar territory (or, to reference an earlier lyric, "into the dark"), is by far its strongest asset.
From 2008's Narrow Stairs, "Cath…" is the kind of piercing, evocative character sketch Ben Gibbard seems to be able to write in his sleep.As a bride poses for wedding photos, her unfortunate match is starkly revealed in the glare of flashbulbs. Cath's quiet desperations, ticking clocks, and her final resignation to a half-happy marriage are laid bare to the whole congregation. Despite this seve.
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Decided I should probably devote some of the early days of this project to stuff for the Best Of 08 list (due late this week/early next). This seemed like a good place to start.Death Cab For Cutie always fell into the category of bands that people I know always liked, but I never got around to hearing them. I was passingly familiar with The Postal Service since their debut (I heard "The Distric...
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New York, October 6 - Radio City Music Hall, somewhere behind the stage door, right next to the elevator a sign shows: "2nd Floor - Death Cab For Cutie's suite" I got in and eagerly pressed 2. A few seconds later, the doors bluntly opened. There was a striking quietness about this place, at the time both relaxing and disturbing. The sound of my steps on the blue carpet seemed to vanish in endle...
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Death Cab For Cutie's newest single "Cath..." debuted this morning. It was directed by the same woman who did their Directions version of "Different Names For The Same Thing", as well as the last Rilo Kiley single "Silver Lining". Autumn de Wilde also shot covers for Beck, The White Stripes, Raconteurs, etc., one of my favorite fashion shoots of Zooey Deschanel, and that amazing portrait book...
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Death Cab for Cutie has shot a video of one of my favorite songs off of their latest album, Narrow Stairs. Check it out:..Cath... - Death Cab for CutieHype - Buy - Look~~
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This isn't so much a review as a personal reflection on Death Cab For Cutie's newest record Narrow Stairs. On that note, Narrow Stairs is a record meant for headphones. And not those ubiquitous silly ear buds. But those oversized '80s style record-player headphones. With headphones, the myriad layers all perk up, demanding attention and raising the tension and power until the drum beats thunder...
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okay, so it's true. i'm silly with it. i went to death cab's show at thanksgiving point in lehi, utah, on memorial day. i stood in the cold for two hours by myself, and as i stupidly left my ipod in the car, my california-acclaimated body not only suffered through blustery frozenness, but i had to listen to a bunch of "teens" talk to each other -- it was horrible. but ah, redemption! so sweet. ...
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Death Cab For Cutie's latest album, Narrow Stairs, was released just over a week ago, on May 13th. I've been a long time fan of Death Cab, ever since their last album Plans came out. Featuring such hits as 'Marching Bands of Manhattan', 'Soul Meets Body', and 'I Will Follow You Into the Dark', it was a pretty good place to start. I can proudly say that this is the band that got me into the indi...
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I must admit that I listened to the album beforehand through a leak, but by the time I actually got the cd in my hands, I was calm enough to actually sit and digest the words. the lyrics are much more literal than the past albums of dcfc, so if you're like me and live for deconstructing similes, Something About Airplanes is a better album to turn to (Fake Frowns? come,on). "Bixby Canyon Bridge"...
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I will admit, I’m an instant gratification type of girl…I do one hour photo, microwavepopcorn, and I downloaded the new Death Cab for Cutie album early. Before anyone gets all uptight…don’t worry. I will buy it, more than one copy, actually. But I wanted to spend some quality time with my hometown boys and their new tunes and wanted to do it NOW.Anyhow…the album has gotten some great r
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‘Narrow Stairs’ is not an easy album to love. In fact, as soon as it was over, I had to listen to it again. And then again. Because I was afraid something had happened. I was afraid I was right. Quotes like this were floating around:”Thus far it’s pretty weird, and pretty spectacular; lots of blood. It’s creepy and heavy… We’ve got a ten minute long Can [German experimental band –
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I cheated and was able to acquire Death Cab For Cutie’s new album Narrow Stairs a week in advance. I had already pre-ordered this on iTunes (for the free tracks) and I’ll be venturing into my local record store to pick up a real copy and get the free DCFC pint glass that comes with it a week from today. However, I wanted a preview of what I will be hearing this Saturday when DCFC plays in Bo
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After listening to the single Death Cab For Cutie released to bump up the anticipation for their new album even more, I was excited. Very excited. "I Will Possess Your Heart" is a beautifully structured and executed piece of music. At 8:35, it is an epic choice as a single, ambitious and impressive. Whats even more impressive is how well it was received, and how much everyone seems to be enjoyi...
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...props from MTV on their upcoming release, Narrow Stairs."After hearing Narrow Stairs earlier this week, it turns out that everything I had known about Death Cab was wrong. They are actually a really great band, and Stairs is unquestionably the best thing they've ever done. It's a ballsy, brave effort, sonically every bit as dissonant and sanguine as you have heard, full of songs that thrash ...
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Death Cab for Cutie has shot a video of one of my favorite songs off of their latest album, Narrow Stairs. Check it out:..Cath... - Death Cab for Cutie~~
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Death Cab for Cutie has shot a video of one of my favorite songs off of their latest album, Narrow Stairs. Check it out:..Cath... - Death Cab for CutieHype - Buy - Look~~
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...that the new Death Cab album is just a total pop nugget from start to finish, albeit a nugget with more than a little bitterness right there at the end. This though, is like an outtake from Pet Sounds. Good shit. Surprising. It makes me smile everytime I hear it. Come to think of it, Brian Wilson is all over this record, in all his shimmering sixties faded pop glory.
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Death Cab For Cutie are going to have themselves a fun turning-of-the-leaves season. Not only are they hitting up Europe and major venues like New York's Radio City Music Hall, but they'll be kickin' it with Neil Young for some Canadian stops (Wilco will link up with Young, following DCFC.)In addition to the tour the band have announced an exclusive five-song Rhapsody.com release. The session w...
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If you haven't already heard Death Cab For Cutie's 8-minute single "I Will Possess Your Heart" off Narrow Stairs, then read no further and head "here.":http://mog.com/Michael_Goldberg/blog_post/150691Today MOG unveils the band's cover art for the follow-up to 2005's Plans, which was recorded in three studios. Narrow Stairs hits stores on May 13th via Atlantic. Does it, or does it not look like ...
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Death Cab For Cutie recently recorded a new version of their track 'No Sunlight' in the back of a London taxi.Frontman Ben Gibbard and guitarist Chris Walla performed a one-take session in the back of a black cab as it drove around London.The original version of the song appears on the band's new album 'Narrow Stairs'.The session was filmed for the Black Cab Sessions, and can be watched now at ...
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This just in from the Death Cab For Cutie web site:"01.29.08New Album TitleWe are happy to announce that the new Death Cab album slated for release this May has a name:NARROW STAIRSPlease stay tuned for more info about the new album coming soon."There you have it. What Narrow Stairs might be a metaphor for, leaves me scratching my head. Perhaps the tunes will shed a light.
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hey Moggeritas and Moggerinos.....sorry I've been an incredible stranger over the past few weeks....This week I've shooting like a mad man through CMJ (for CMJ) and non-CMJ events....no time lots of braindrain...But like a cheeseburger in paradise, Moggeritaville has always been on my mind.That said, a few weeks a go, Death Cab for Cutie came to the triumphant RadioCity Music Hall. For Mog TV, ...
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Wanna go see Death For Cutie perform some new tracks from their highly-anticipated new album Narrow Stairs? Too bad, most dates including the kick off in Bremerton, Washington at the Admiral Theatre on April 18th are sold way out. But don't worry you can catch the band at music festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo and Sasquatch. To hear the band's new single "I Will Posses Your Heart" head "here....
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The 2008 award for Best Editing of a Video for "I Will Possess Your Heart"Here it is...just in case you missed it.MORE INFO HERE
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Its funny how in the mornings we have a ritual that we follow, it never varies much, or god forbid out whole day just seems to be out of kilter.I am actually very interested in peoples morning ablution processes (not in detail thank you very much!!!) but it is interesting to know that everyone, and so far in my research everyone follows a particular ritual each and every morning (weekends exce...
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No SunlightOnly a band from the Pacific Northwest could come up with this type of video.. living in the dark for 6 months out of the year!
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Death Cab for Cutie performed 'Cath' yesterday on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. You can watch the performance below. Death Cab for Cutie - This Charming Man [zshare]
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This great live session should see me forgiven...Am I forgiven?Bixby Canyon Bridge
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Bixby Canyon Bridge |
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| 2 I Will Possess Your Heart |
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| 3 No Sunlight |
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| 4 Cath... |
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| 5 Talking Bird |
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| 6 You Can Do Better Than Me |
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| 7 Grapevine Fires |
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| 8 Your New Twin Sized Bed |
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| 9 Long Division |
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| 10 Pity and Fear |
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| 11 The Ice Is Getting Thinner |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Narrow Stairs")
