Arriving one year after the release of Narrow Stairs, the five-song Open Door EP pairs four abandoned tracks from the Narrow Stairs sessions with a ukulele-helmed demo of "Talking Bird." Although it's certainly a stopgap recording -- released just before the bandmates' final tour in support of Narrow Stairs, and intended to maintain their popularity throughout the subsequent retreat to the recording studio -- Open Door is also a strong display of Death Cab's literate, poetry-major pop, with fast tempos and bright melodies that sometimes contrast Narrow Stairs' autumnal moments. These once-discarded tracks don't sound any less tuneful than the band's recent output; "Little Bribes," in particular, could have bumped a lesser song off of the Narrow Stairs track list with its power pop bounce, while "My Mirror Speaks" wields a winsomely ascending chorus that finds Ben Gibbard reaching into his falsetto. Such tunes may not have suited the bittersweet beauty of Stairs, but they're quite good in their own right, making The Open Door EP something more than a fans-only release. The only arguable misstep is the demo version of "Talking Bird" (the only song to appear on Narrow Stairs, albeit in different form), whose bare-boned arrangement lacks the shifting dynamics of Death Cab's best material.
"Pity, take pity on me."That is the opening line request that Gibbard sings on the 2nd track from DCfC's excellent, soon-to-be-released EP, The Open Door EP.So needless to say, this is not exactly a "happy" song. As one of the songs that didn't make the final cut for the band's 2008 summer release Narrow Stairs, while it certainly has subject matter that fit along with some of the dire, troubling
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Death Cab For Cutie "Little Bribes" (Conan O'Brien Video)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hey Everyone This Week Is GOing TO Be Slow At The Moment I'm Traveling For The Next Two Weeks.(I Will COme Back Here And There TO Post Up B...
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These remainders from Narrow Stairs find Death Cab live and looser, which works to their advantage. U2 would kill to be able to write a song as broad and open as “A Diamond And A Tether.” The result is a bit like listening to Coldplay, but with considerably more talent.Sounds like: U2 | Big Star | Teenage FanclubDeath Cab for Cutie: (Official / MySpace)Don’t make us make you. ‘Cause we’l
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Death Cab for Cutie recently released a collection of rarities entitled The Open Door and they dropped by Conan O'Brien's stage last evening to play the first tune off the...
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With their latest EP releasing next week and tour dates already sold out, we thought we would keep the buzz going for one of our favorite groups - Death Cab For Cutie.The Open Door EP, which is scheduled to hit online stores next Tuesday, marks Death Cab's first release since Narrow Stairs from last May. Stereogum has been streaming new tracks from this EP every day this week, so if you want t...
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Consisting of five tracks all under the four minute mark, The Open Door EP is as breezy and swift as its very title. The songs on the CD were tracks recorded during the process of creating their 2008 L. P Narrow Stairs but left off for one reason or another.
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 "The Open Door EP")
