Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Death Cab for Cutie has already solidified themselves as a top band of this decade, especially with their back to back monster albums, Translanticism (2003) and Plans (2005). Recently there has been a lot of buzz around Narrow Stairs, Death Cab’s latest full length effort, and in some ways I agree with the critics. But the album has also given me reason to write my first critical review.
First and foremost, I’m a huge fan of Plans, songs like Marching Bands of Manhattan, Soul Meets Body, and I Will Follow You into the Dark, filled me with an unexplainable joy offered in a very surreal, sadist kind of way. These songs were memorable, and really epitomized the quality of music coming from Death Cab at the time. I can’t say that any song from Narrow Stairs remotely matches any of the three mentioned from Plans. Given that Death Cab seemingly chose a darker more musical route than the upbeat inspirational stuff I heard from previous albums, I felt Narrow Stairs was a tad of a letdown in that respect. That’s the problem with follow up albums, bands change, and fans are often left wanting more of the previous, but in this case I didn’t get my fill.
With that out of the way, the album was good, and if this was any other band besides Death Cab, it could have been very good. Bixby Canyon Bridge, the first track off Narrow Stairs was entertaining, but again, not memorable. I didn’t really feel a direction in terms of the mood, but musically everything was on par to classic Death Cab material. It’s a very grungy, laid back tune, with the inspiring vocals of Ben Gibbard, that’s enough to make a decent song, but I didn’t feel awe-inspired or any of that jazz.
Second on the track list, is a song that has been featured and praised across the interweb, I Will Possess Your Heart. I will get a lot of flack for this, but I wasn’t impressed, I found it excessively long. Some people have fallen in love with this track, but it wasn’t as if it was 8 minutes of constantly changing instrumentals. It was the same guitar riff over a span of 5-6 minutes, and a little too tedious for my taste. But then again, for me, the less Ben Gibbard I hear, the less I want to hear the song, let that be a testament of the appreciation I have for Ben.
After the first two tracks, I get to material that I begin to get a feel for. No Sunlight the third song and my favourite track is pleasantly upbeat, yet remaining true to the laid back nature of Death Cab. There’s a little more action as compared to the first 14 minutes of the album (that’s only two tracks!), and some may say it gets a little more mainstream from then on, but I like it. No Sunlight is followed up by Cath… and again, it’s the same faster paced, but only slightly inspiring material. Yet amidst all the pretty good songs on this album, I still wonder, where’s the next Soul Meets Body?
This album had a wealth of decent songs, it was a good listen, and an ok effort. But I may be one of the few out there who just loves the pop side of Death Cab. Plans wasn’t particularly fast paced or more action packed, but it provided that memorable optimistic track that steals my mind for the 3-4 minutes it’s on. I don’t think Death Cab needed to go the dark route, or the more mainstream route, they didn’t need the grungy guitars, or the overly depressed vocals. Translantacism was also an unbelievable album in my eyes, and it’s the soft pop that I crave not the indie melancholy they went for. If you’re a Death Cab fan, check for yourself, you may find a new side that you’ve always wanted, or if you’re like me, you may find an ok album from an unbelievable band.
No Sunlight by Death Cab For Cutie
Talking Bird by Death Cab For Cutie
Buy Narrow Stairs at: Insound, CDUniverse, Amazon
Death Cab is great, Kevin and I are fans of Plans despite a lot of people hating on it. Something About Airplanes is also a great album.
I think they tried to divert from being too “pop” and that was a mistake. Not entirely bad but kind of forgettable.