"Seven Years in the Making"

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Record Label: Atlantic Records
Release Date: May 13, 2008
Produced by: Chris Walla

Track Listing:
1. Bixby Canyon Bridge
2. I Will Possess Your Heart
3. No Sunlight
4. Cath…
5. Talking Bird
6. You Can Do Better Than Me
7. Grapevine Fires
8. Your New Twin Sized Bed
9. Long Division
19. Pity and Fear
11. The Ice Is Getting Thinner

Over the course of Death Cab’s previous two albums, I shook my head at what could have been. Seven years ago the unassuming foursome conceived one of the most complete albums within the “indie” circle for quite some time. The Photo Album spanned an emotional spectrum; hitting beautiful lulls lead by Ben Gibbard’s voice, and soaring highs with mesmerizing melodies exemplified on “Blacking out the Friction.”

Predictably, the band didn’t receive their deserving adoration until they were preparing for their follow-up album. The onslaught of sales and media attention for Tranatlantisicm lead to a major label deal and, eventually, Plans in 2005.
But both of those albums lacked that certain “je ne sais quoi” that made them a breath of fresh air to listen to. Instead, it sounded as if the band was playing while stuck in the mud, unable to freely waltz to and fro.
Finally, seven years later, they unveil the closest thing to a worthy follow-up to their 2001 release with Narrow Stairs.

“Your New Twin Sized Bed” shows off Gibbard’s lyrical simplicity, tracing relational discord from the emergence of a twin sized bed over the queen size lying outside in the alley. “Cath…” and “You Can Do Better Than Me” bring back the happy, chunky bass lines from earlier years, with an extra layer of polish and precision.
And the album’s first single, “I Will Possess Your Heart,” despite what the radio cut may indicate, crosses the eight-minute mark – showing a stylistic freedom that had faded in recent years.

Guitarist Chris Walla took the lead production role and really brought some life to the band. “Long Division” has the band sounding more alive than I can remember; creating a “brighter” sound that really pops.

Narrow Stairs doesn’t emerge as a revolutionary disc though. While floating above other recent releases, it fails to step on top of the proverbial sea and miraculously walk past everything that has come before it. Instead, it keeps up with the ebb and flow of the scene. And, as far as I’m concerned, that’s a good thing.


www.myspace.com/deathcabforcutie
www.deathcabforcutie.com