Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs
Tuesday, 13 May 2008 17:00
Dark and brooding brilliance from Death Cab for Cutie
Atlantic, out now.
In a nutshell...
Going for broke, striking gold.
What's it all about?
The warning signs were there for all to see. Death Cab for Cutie's major label debut Plans sold over a million copies worldwide and sent them crashing into mainstream consciousness. A triumph for Atlantic but not so for the indie scenesters who branded the group as sellouts. Was one of America's finest alternative bands about to morph into the next Matchbox Twenty?
Not so for a collective as self-aware as Death Cab, setting out from the get go to ensure new album Narrow Stairs would silence the doubters. First their guitarist and producer Chris Walla stepped out of the shadows at the turn of the year, proclaiming Narrow Stairs to be a "total curveball". Soon after we were given the eight-minute-plus single I Will Possess Your Heart, complete with a four-minute wordless intro.
Walla's production provides the backbone for what is a far heavier album. The piece lacks the sheen of Plans and the final mix creates an almost claustrophobic atmosphere - you can almost hear the drums pounding against the studio walls as opener Bixby Canyon Bridge builds to a thrilling climax. His guitar has also grown a pair, evident in the rollicking Long Division.
Ben Gibbard's lyrics follow suit, pondering darker matters. He muses on a bride who marries the wrong man (Cath), an obsessive stalker (I Will Possess Your Heart) and the futility of twin-sized beds for the perenially alone (Your New Twin-Sized Bed). Yet, through the darkness springs an underlying beauty to each track, offsetting darker themes to create a wildly fascinating contrast.
Who's it by?
The path that can be traced through Death Cab for Cutie's career up to now can be seen in two different ways: one of quirky cult favourites who sold their soul to the majors, released the mainstream-friendly album (Plans) and lost the fervent fanbase of indie nerds along the way.
The alternative is one of slow-burning sucess. The band, hailing from the state of Washington, are now six albums (seven if you count compilation You Can Play These Songs With Chords) into a critically-acclaimed career. A major label switch coincided with some helpful promotion from The OC and Gibbard's hugely-successful side project, the Postal Service. The stars aligned perfectly to make Death Cab a big deal across the pond. They are, however, yet to make the big breakthrough in the UK. Time will tell if Narrow Stairs changes anything.
As an example...
"I'm starting to feel/We stay together out of fear/Of dying alone/I've been slipping through the years/My old clothes don't fit like they once did/So they hang like ghosts of the people I have been." - You Can Do Better Than Me
"You used to think that someone would come along/And lay beside you in a space that they belong/But the other side of the mattress and box springs stayed like new/And what's the point of holding on to what never gets used?/Other than a sick desire for self-abuse." - Your New Twin-Sized Bed
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Death Cab have already lived it up Grammy-style but tellingly it was for their most everyman moment - the warm mug of cocoa that was Plans. Narrow Stars will be a polarising record and lacks the immediacy of its predecessor. That said, the critical reception has been very positive and a strong US chart showing will prove decisive. It will, however, be universally ignored by all award panels here.
What the others say
"A dark, strangely compelling record that trades the group's bright melancholy for something nearer to despair." - Will Hermes, Rolling Stone
"At times, the maturation feels forced; the more adventurous moments here are experimental only for such a high-profile group and they don't play to Gibbard's sentimental, word-weighing strengths." - Marc Hogan, Pitchfork
So is it any good?
Death Cab for Cutie have always displayed the same traits: lovingly crafted melodies, the bizarre urge to hug someone while listening to them and Gibbard's lyrical prowess, wry in its observations and deliberate in its delivery. These traits can be found once again on Narrow Stairs, but one is asked to crack open a much harder case to reach its undeniably soft centre. It is precisely this that makes the album such a rewarding listen.
Narrow Stairs sees Death Cab take chances and cross stylistic borders. You Can Do Better Than Me channels Brian Wilson so effectively that it could have sounded like a pastiche. Cath borders on Neil Young and Crazy Horse territory while I Will Possess Your Heart takes obvious influence from Wilco's classic Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Yet the songs never sound stilted or forced. The aforementioned Death Cab traits pervade every track and form the glue that holds the album together.
Death Cab for Cutie could have easily played it safe for this release, yet chose not to rest on their laurels. Consequently, we have an early contender for album of the year and the possibility of winning over the indie scenesters after all.
9/10
John McGlone
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