Narrow Stairs

What can you say about DCFC? When ears beyond Bellingham caught on to their sound, they quickly became the darlings of the indie world. A string of solid releases while on mini-label, Barsuk Records, was enough to solidify their status as the best little band in America.

Then Atlantic Records came a'-calling. No one can blame DCFC for wanting a little financial stability or the chance to reach a larger audience. Plans was ushered in as their debut release with the mega-label, helping them cultivate a whole swath of new fans. Mission accomplished.

Unfortunately, their old fans - the ones who liked their Barsuk material - were left waiting at the velvet rope while their new fans - the ones who TiVo The O.C., C.S.I. Miami and Six Feet Under - got VIP passes to the fabulous new world of surgically coiffed pop music. Tragically, history has taught us that bands who sign with major labels eventually find themselves caving in to the suits who sign their advance checks. As more time passes, their music becomes further diluted, pandering to the lowest common denominator in an attempt to meet sales and revenue targets. As such, logic dictated that Narrow Stairs would be the next step in DCFC's inexorable journey to the middle. Logic, shmogic.

While Narrow Stairs, is far from being their best work, it represents what appears to be a conscious attempt at retreating from the mid-pointed trajectory Plans had them plotting. Listening to it - particularly the first series of tracks - had me imagining the facial expressions of the Atlantic suits at their first listen; most likely dumbstruck, nervous and confused. This is no studio paint-by-numbers pop album. And while the second act does fall a little flat - at least musically, if not lyrically - there are moments in Narrow Stairs that find Death Cab at their best; exceptional musicianship, complimented by Ben Gibbard's flesh-and-bone lyrics.

In the end, as DCFC stood on the precipice of becoming "America's Coldplay", Narrow Stairs may have restored some faith in this little band. The new fans from Plans might find themselves a little confused, but that's just fine. Let's just hope, for Death Cab's sake, it's OK with the suits at Atlantic Records too.

For some reason that I can't really place, I was not all that hyped for "Narrow Stairs", the latest LP from Death Cab for Cutie.
This is not because I did not like "Plans". I loved side one of that record, or what would have been side one in the olden days. And though the second half of the record was fairly weak, it still was not the type of record that would cause one to completely write off a band.
Maybe it was the lead single from this album, the eight minute long "I Will Possess Your Heart", a slow build of a song that never quite finds it's melody or intention.
Either way, I have just now, a month and a half after it's release gotten around to picking up "Narrow Stairs", and I have to say that I am truly happy that I did, as it is a very strong record.
All the press that was circulating for this album before it's release commented on how this was the darkest Death Cab record yet, and though there is some truth to that, one really shouldn't expect a Bauhaus record here. On the contrary, to counteract Ben Gibbard's downbeat lyrical stance this time, the band has created some of their brightest melodies yet. "You Can Do Better Than Me", a brief song just under two minutes, sounds like an outtake from "Pet Sounds" with it's careful studio tricks and bell percussion. "No Sunlight", a terrific song about the death of an optimist, bounces along to a New Wave bass line and powerful drum beat. "Cath", the records stand out track, Gibbard sings about a girl on her wedding day feeling as though she is making a mistake, while the band backs him up with a startlingly pretty guitar track, on of the best that the band has ever come up with, that feels shoegazer without the accompanying self doubt.
Musically and production wise, in fact, this is one of Death Cab's stronger records to date I think. Multi-instrumentalist/ producer Chris Walla wraps the songs in a sound that mixes overdubs and the sound of a live band bashing a record out in their basement in equal measure, and the band turn in some of their most passionate performances to date.
The one thing that keeps this record from being great, in my opinion, though is Gibbard's lyrics. Though a few songs are terrific ("I Will Possess Your Heart", which sounds far better on record than it did as a single, and "Cath"), most feel pasted together and written on the fly, following the same stories and characters that Gibbard has sung about in the past, but with no new view points or perspective. And am I the only one who find "The Ice Is Getting Thinner" a little laughable?
But the shortcomings of the lyrics are a small qualm when the music is as strong and well written as it is here. "Narrow Stairs" is not Death Cab's best record, but it is better than the scatter shot "Plans", and a more than worthy addition to their staggeringly strong catalong of albums.

Phenomenal cd, definitly check it out if you're a dcfc fan or just into this genre.

I don't understand why all of the critics and reviewers have been referring to "Narrow Stairs" as Death Cab's "darkest album yet." Personally, I think it sounds a lot brighter and more energetic than a lot of their other releases, especially with tracks like "No Sunlight" and "Long Division." The subject matter isn't any darker, either; Death Cab have been known for having depressing lyrics all the way back to "Something About Airplanes."

That being said, this is still a very good album. A lot of the new songs resemble songs from the "Photo Album" era, which is a good thing. It certainly isn't their best, as that title currently belongs to "Transatlanticism," but in my opinion it definitely surpasses "Plans" and takes a fairly high place in their discography. Like "Plans," though, not all of the tracks are Death Cab at their finest, and songs like "You Can Do Better Than Me" and "Pity and Fear" sound dull and uninspired. However, the majority of the tracks, such as "Bixby Canyon Bridge" and "Your Brand New Twin-Sized Bed," are very fresh and exciting to listen to.

Overall, it's not perfect, but it's still pretty good. And unlike what everybody is raving about, it's not "dark" or "experimental." It's the same old Death Cab releasing a new album of pretty good songs.

It's a great cd. The songs all have a different feeling from one another, and it definately isn't repetative. The transitions between the songs have a nice feeling to them where at times the songs sound almost as if they are an extention of one another. I have no complaints about anything The vocals are well done, and the lyrics themselves go well with the music. I say it's more than worth the money to buy the cd.