After relentless touring, performances on Saturday Night Live, and appearing on the cover of Spin and Paste Magazines, Death Cab for Cutie brings us Narrow Stairs. Following up their DVD collection, Directions, which sold over 30,000 copies and their platinum selling album, Plans, was no easy task but Narrow Stairs has already been praised by MTV.com as the band's most daring and adventurous effort to date.
Narrow Stairs might be the first album recorded by Death Cab for Cutie since Ben Gibbard's former solo project went unexpectedly stratospheric, but Gibbard hasn't let it go to his head. Oh, OK, maybe a little: lead-off single "I Will Possess Your Heart" is an eight minute jam that speeds off on one long, luminous curve before Gibbard's distinctive vocals swing in, sweet and plaintive as ever. Even when indulging their grander visions, though, Death Cab for Cutie are still familiar as the same band that wrote those fragile, winsome songs back before teen drama The OC came knocking. Never knowingly overstated, built from driving rhythms, flourishes of piano and intricate melodies, Narrow Stairs builds grand, emotionally loaded narratives from small, subtle parts. "Your New Twin Sized Bed" hides a deftly articulated tale of heartbreak and loneliness amidst soothing tangles of guitar, while "You Can Do Better than Me" is a sweet miniature that's part Pet Sounds orchestration, part wistful Dear John. This isn't, as Gibbard would previously hint, a dissonant or especially adventurous album. It proves, however, that Death Cab can extend their scope without diluting the pathos or energy of their music, and it not only sounds great, but bodes well for the future. --Louis Pattison
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
For me, this is the "introduction":
Always heard the name, never heard the band. Is this like yourself? You are intrigued by the band, that supposedly is greatness, but you don't think you are hip enough to listen? Have no fear. Buy this album and I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of listens you will give it. While I test drove this album, I was skeptical. Is it too soft for a fan of the Editors and Interpol? Is there any "crunch" to the guitars to give it teeth? Will I be viewed as a wanna be indie guy for picking... more info
Boredom barnburner:
Oh, how I hate you, Death Cab for Cutie. First of all, I hate your cutesy Bonzo Dog name. I hate your album cover, the way it attempts to be a criticism of our pixel-mad culture, its much ado about meaninglessness. Living in the beneath-culture slagheap, beating against your "chests" with barbells. I hate how dreamy your sissy-boy voice is, Benjamin. I love how greasy children drip chocolate ice cream all over your T-shirts at the putt-putt course. But, then, hate is just a hopskip away from love, and... more info
Stairway To Heaven:
For all their reputation as sensitive emo-types mooning over teen-angst TV shows, the 2008 release from Death Cab For Cutie is almost anything but that stereotype. While the songs here follow Cab Leader Ben Gibbard through his lyrical trials of broken relationships ("Your New Twin Sized Bed") and the girl that got away ("Cath"), the trickier parts of "Narrow Stairs" have so many other things going for it. This is a climb into a dark room, and a very effective one. The most affected sign of this is the... more info
Not terrible, but nothing compared to PLANS:
There were definitely some great songs on this album, but it's nothing when compared to the PLANS album. If you're new to Death Cab, and are looking to buy an album, I suggest buying PLANS. Then you can just buy individual songs from this album. If you're a big Death Cab fan(like me), then I'd say this album is still worth owning (I just hope you own PLANS as well).
