Death Cab For Cuties new album, Narrow Stairs', comes out tomorrow. I've been listening to it off and on for the last few days, and my overall recommendation is: check it out.
The album opens with Bixby Canyon Bridge, which is probably one of my least favorite songs on this CD. In retrospect, it's probably a good opening, because it builds.
The second song (and first single) on the album, I Will Possess Your Heart, is a great tune. It begins instrumentally, and eventually builds into the kind of tune that you'd hear in a cool coffee shop, or an artsy lounge space. |  |
No Sunlight is just a really catchy tune. The kind you can't really help bobbing your head or tapping your foot to. It is also deliciously quotable with the line "The optimist died inside of me". I can see it in the facebook statuses and MSN names.
Cath, track 4, begins in a way that to me sounds vaguely reminiscent of Foo Fighters' Color and the Shape. The song itself is mellow, and very much what I'd expect from a Death Cab song.
Track 5, Talking Bird, has a sad mellowness to it. It is probably one of my least favorite tracks on the album, however,it is not because it is technically inferior in any way, but simply just because its' position breaks up the flow of the catchier tunes.
You Can Do Better Than Me (But I Can't Do Better Than You) is probably my favorite track of the album. It is also very quotable, and perfect for the cynics of love and the insecure about their relationships. It's short, almost too short, but it says what it needs to, and ends perfectly.
Grapevine Fires, which is track 7, It's the drumbeat and blending of instruments and harmonies which makes this track great. It's so easy to get into,that I kinda feel sad when it's over.
Your New Twin Sized Bed is a great track with awesome lyrics. It reminds me of a friend of mine, and although sad, it's a nice tune. It seems to be a dedication to a friendship in which someone is giving up on finding the right person.
The next track, The Remainder, is just catchy. The chorus WILL get stuck in your head. No doubt about it.
Pity and Fear is another one of my favorite tracks. It sounds Indian/Egyptian and just when you think you have the melody figured out, it goes into a minor key, where you don't expect it to go. When the drums kick in, it just pushes forward, and by the time the electric guitar comes in, you are fully enveloped in it.
The final track, The Ice is Getting Thinner, is amazingly beautiful. I'm not sure it's the best ending for the album, but I also can't see it fitting anywhere else in the album. It has to be there, because it's wonderful,but it doesn't go with the catchy-ness of the rest of the album. But a track worth listening to and loving either way.
Based on what I've heard of Death Cab before, I was pretty impressed by this album. His voice sometimes gets to me, but the catchy factor really makes this a worthy listen.
Therefore, you must all go check it out. Now. :)
XO Fawksy Holly
Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie hits shelves May 13
