Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs 6/10

Well, no one can accuse Death Cab for Cutie of selling out. While their last album, Plans, had many questioning Ben Gibbard and company's artistic vision, Narrow Stairs is a firm step in the other direction. It starts off unabashedly experimental and continues, for the most part, in that direction for the remainder of the album. But is Death Cab being experimental just for the sake of trying to do something new? With their newest, it's a little bit hard to tell.

"Bixby Canyon Bridge" starts off with a wash of ambient noise and Gibbard's distinctive, eternally boyish voice talking about arriving "at the place where your soul had died." The song is a striking departure from their earlier work, all pounding instrumental crescendos and a ridiculous noise freakout at the climactic finish. Hey, I can still dig it, as Gibbard's lyrics remain as strong as ever and the song has a powerful cathartic feel to it.

Things get a little out of hand, however, with the following song, first single "I Will Possess Your Heart Off." The first four and a half minutes are a slow build-up of an instrumental jam until Gibbard's desperate vocals kick in. To be sure, Death Cab was never meant to mimic Explosions in the Sky, and the rest of the song is neither interesting nor catchy enough to regain the interest lost in the musical wankery earlier.

The band picks it up with "No Sunlight" and the following "Cath...," two songs that call to mind the Death Cab of old. The melodies are solid, Gibbard hits the perfect dichotomy between his bright singing and the dark lyrics, and the band throws away any attempts at experimenting. The resulting focus on pure grade-A songwriting lifts the album back up.

And then the momentum is again killed with the meandering "Talking Birds," which stumbles around a simple drumbeat and a droning guitar moaning in the background. It's almost as if Death Cab is trying too hard to do something new, and in the process forgo any semblance of hook or melody to capture the listener.

Lyrically, the album is more somber in tone than Plans, and Gibbard is in top form talking about everything from the California wildfires to bedroom furniture. While the music follows suit and the instrumental choices are often more varied than in previous releases (kudos to producer/guitarist Chris Walla), too much of many of the songs sounds like just rocking out for the sake of pleasing themselves rather than advancing the individual songs or the record as a whole.

The best songs are those that play to Death Cab's strengths rather than trying to create new ones. "Long Division" keeps the focus on song structure instead of deviating into a mess of sounds and sounds fresh and urgent. "The Ice Is Getting Thinner" is a closing slow song in the best tradition of Death Cab gems like "A Lack of Color" and "Stable Song," sounding wistful without dipping into sappy nostalgia.

Narrow Stairs is a hit-or-miss record. Whereas some of their more adventurous stretches succeed, most notably "Bixby Canyon Bridge," others fall flat and turn the band's attention away from what they do best. But Death Cab's knack for churning out poppy yet thoughtful numbers like "Cath..." should keep their fans reassured that the foursome haven't lost their gift. July 24, 2008

YEAH!

Come on. Anyone who can whine about this album after the last several more and more BORING ones is nuts. Narrow Stairs does manage to give a nod back to We Have the Facts..., still one of the finest albums since The Queen is Dead and still sound fresh. I started with Death Cab upon the first release and unlike REM they didn't have to wait 20 years to put out something great once again. July 21, 2008

Don't waste your time or money.

Death Cab for Cutie has always been an all-time favorite of mine. They were my very first concert.

I was ecstatic when I heard that they were finally coming out with a new album.

I couldn't have been more disappointed. Not even one song stood out on the ENTIRE CD.

Oh, Death Cab. Please, give us something decent next time. Please. July 19, 2008

Monotonous and bland, yet surprisingly boring

This is the complete opposite of the Death Cab I know and love. What happened to melody? What happened to diversity? Each song seems blandly the same, monotonous, and (gasp!) downright BORRRINGGGG!

I saw them live in L.A. a while back, and their energy and effort blew me away. I even chatted with Ben backstage, and his charisma and joy was impressive. Too bad they didn't translate that into this album.... July 17, 2008

Rocky but good.

This record is definitely a departure from their previous works. Rockier and with more jam sessions but still very good. July 16, 2008

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