Narrow Stairs

For those Death Cab fans who adore 'Transatlanticism' and 'Plans' but were never into the 'early stuff', you may be disappointed at first with this album. There is certainly nowhere near as much of the cab's trademark epic, melancholy odyssey sections as there is the dark and driven hypnosis of their earlier material (with some exception, most notably the single).

Flavours of 'We have the facts and we're voting yes' have made a dramatic return in the form of bass and drum driven rock songs, a pleasing contrast to the piano based ballads of 'plans'.

Lyrics are just as wonderfully crafted as ever and this time have taken a simpler form. Some of the metaphor has been substituted with pure heart which, while at first may seem less impressive, is actually one of the reasons why this album is so clever. 'Grapevine Fires' is an extremely touching tribute of the California Fires of 2007. Arnie should be proud! Also featuring a clever reference to a classic Death Cab moment with… more »

For those Death Cab fans who adore 'Transatlanticism' and 'Plans' but were never into the 'early stuff', you may be disappointed at first with this album. There is certainly nowhere near as much of the cab's trademark epic, melancholy odyssey sections as there is the dark and driven hypnosis of their earlier material (with some exception, most notably the single).

Flavours of 'We have the facts and we're voting yes' have made a dramatic return in the form of bass and drum driven rock songs, a pleasing contrast to the piano based ballads of 'plans'.

Lyrics are just as wonderfully crafted as ever and this time have taken a simpler form. Some of the metaphor has been substituted with pure heart which, while at first may seem less impressive, is actually one of the reasons why this album is so clever. 'Grapevine Fires' is an extremely touching tribute of the California Fires of 2007. Arnie should be proud! Also featuring a clever reference to a classic Death Cab moment with the line 'We bought some wine and a paper cup'.

There is nothing contrived or trite about this album in the slightest. There seem to be literally no efforts to 'please' and simply a desire to create. Death Cab for Cutie continue to affect me in a way that no other music ever has. I make no exaggeration in stating that this band have probably saved my life.

Thank you.

Opener 'Bixby Canyon Bridge' starts off quiet and gentle in a classic Death Cab motion, and gradually builds up to a massive, distorted guitar filled crescendo. As soon as the first blasts of guitar come through at 1.40 you know this is a very different band from the one that released the sugar-pop 'Plans'. - 8/10

Next up is the lead single from the album, 'I Will Possess Your Heart'. You have to be a pretty ballsy band to release a first single from an album that is 8 minutes and 35 seconds in length, and downright crazy for the first 4 and a half minutes of the track to be purely instrumental, but hell, it works a charm. This track is outstanding. Sure, it's defiantly a grower - I wasn't fond at all upon first listen as I was expecting a Soul Meets Body Pt. 2 - but after a few listens, you will love it. The bass line and tinkling piano are especially fantastic. - 9/10

'No Sunlight' is probably the most upbeat of all the songs on the album, despite it appearing to be… more »

Opener 'Bixby Canyon Bridge' starts off quiet and gentle in a classic Death Cab motion, and gradually builds up to a massive, distorted guitar filled crescendo. As soon as the first blasts of guitar come through at 1.40 you know this is a very different band from the one that released the sugar-pop 'Plans'. - 8/10

Next up is the lead single from the album, 'I Will Possess Your Heart'. You have to be a pretty ballsy band to release a first single from an album that is 8 minutes and 35 seconds in length, and downright crazy for the first 4 and a half minutes of the track to be purely instrumental, but hell, it works a charm. This track is outstanding. Sure, it's defiantly a grower - I wasn't fond at all upon first listen as I was expecting a Soul Meets Body Pt. 2 - but after a few listens, you will love it. The bass line and tinkling piano are especially fantastic. - 9/10

'No Sunlight' is probably the most upbeat of all the songs on the album, despite it appearing to be about the death of somebody close. Fans of 'Soul Meets Body' will probably eat this right up, and fans of older Death Cab should love it too. It won't leave your head for hours afterwards - 7/10

'Cath...' is one of my favourite tracks on the album and in my opinion, a good contender for second single. It's a straight up rock song, telling the story of a woman marrying a man she doesn't love out of fear she will find nobody else. The lyrics paint a great picture, and the chorus is just magical. You'd be hard pressed not to love this - 10/10

At first I wasn't particularly fond of 'Talking Bird' - it seemed far too slow and dragging for my liking, but I have defiantly grown to love it. The lyrics are odd - the title 'Talking Bird' has no sarcasm or clever wit: it's actually about a talking bird - but the song is quite brilliant, and will defiantly please fans of early Death Cab albums - 7/10

Another favourite of mine, 'You Can Do Better Than Me' is pure genius. It comes in swinging, telling of people staying together 'out of fear of dying alone'. It fits so much into it's 1 minute and 59 seconds length, and is a definite highlight - 10/10

'Grapevine Fires' tells the story of the wildfires that occurred in California in 2007. It is probably the most beautiful song Death Cab have ever written. Gentle, tender, and pure brilliant - you can't help but feel touched as Ben Gibbard swoons 'everything will be alright' and a choir lifts the final word up in an angelic tone. Sure to be a fan favourite - 10/10

Next comes 'You're New Twin Sized Bed', which is again, a favourite (bet you're getting tired of me saying that). It's bluesy and catchy and I just can't remove it from my head - 10/10

'Long Division' is one of the faster songs on the album that sounds most like an all round 'rock song' (but of course, done with Death Cab charm). Catchy chorus, chugging guitars - it's just a really good song. I especially like Gibbards 'oh oh oh' parts - 7/10

'Pity And Fear' is my least favourite song from the album. It takes off slowly and never particularly goes anywhere. Not to say it's a bad song - it's still great. Just not as great as the rest. The sudden ending blast scares me with every listen though - 6/10

Finally comes 'The Ice Is Getting Thinner', and it is undoubtedly the perfect album closer. A bittersweet love song, it will have you thinking of ex-lovers and feeling really down - and that is what it hopes to achieve. To anybody who has ever been in love and fallen apart, this will speak to you. Gentle, tender, delicate and beautiful. Perfect - 10/10

Never before have Death Cab For Cutie gotten so many different styles, moods and brilliant songs into one album. Buy this. You'd be a fool not to.

Already being a fan of the band Death Cab For Cutie, I can honestly say that I was a little shocked by some aspects of the new album. The 7 minute long epic 'I Will Possess Your Heart' is definitely a new stepping stone in the increasing journey of the band, and one that in my oppinion is a step back. Sure enough it has some nice aspects: the guitar has a nice echo and some sweet effects, and the bass line is porbably one of the hookiest pieces of music the band has written to date - mainly due to the fact that the same bass line is repeated over and over without change through the entire 7 minutes of the song. This does make the song a tad boring, and quite tiresome.

The opening track is what you would expect from Death Cab For Cutie. It follows along the same lines as previous album openers 'Marching Bands Of Manhattan' from Plans and 'The New Year' from Transatlanticism. Each album often contatining an easily accessible, slow building, catchy Indie-Rock masterpiece. This is… more »

Already being a fan of the band Death Cab For Cutie, I can honestly say that I was a little shocked by some aspects of the new album. The 7 minute long epic 'I Will Possess Your Heart' is definitely a new stepping stone in the increasing journey of the band, and one that in my oppinion is a step back. Sure enough it has some nice aspects: the guitar has a nice echo and some sweet effects, and the bass line is porbably one of the hookiest pieces of music the band has written to date - mainly due to the fact that the same bass line is repeated over and over without change through the entire 7 minutes of the song. This does make the song a tad boring, and quite tiresome.

The opening track is what you would expect from Death Cab For Cutie. It follows along the same lines as previous album openers 'Marching Bands Of Manhattan' from Plans and 'The New Year' from Transatlanticism. Each album often contatining an easily accessible, slow building, catchy Indie-Rock masterpiece. This is the case again on this album, however with a slight twist. A Hard-Rock plunge on the guitars for the closing moments of the song comes as a new introduction to a familiar sound on this album, and one that works surpirisingly well with their trademark accessible Indie Pop.

No Sunlight is another stab at their harder work, with a catchy chorus and some beautiful tinkly guitar work. Often reminiscent of early Bloc Party, and Long Division is also of a similar sound. 'Talking Bird' is a slower track with long drawn out vocals that spread the seed of lyrical beauty as Gibbard wails metaphor after metaphor often refering to lonliness and being caged in. 'You Can Do Better Than Me' initially sounds like a christmas jingle, with scintillating bell sounds jingling in the foreground and swooping bass lines. The lyrics are some of Gibbards most honest to date, trully epitamising his lyrical beauty and depth with ingenious poetic lines.

'Grapevine Fires' and 'Your New Twin Sized Bed' may well be some of Death Cab For Cutie's greatest work to date, closely resembled to the work on Transatlanticism. Lonliness and love: often a key ingredient to Gibbard's writing has never been brought across with such poetic beauty before, and the hooky guitar work and fear inspiring vocal courage is brought across to an apocalyptic extent. 'The Ice is Getting Thinner' is a true closing to the album; not letting it continue anywhere else but a conclusion giving the album a trully fulfilling feel.

Although the album portrays some of Death Cab For Cutie's greatest work to date, the other half of the album, however, feels a little incomplete - mainly due to the more experimentalisation used from the band. This is not a bad thing, it gives the band a more broad scale of sound, it just seems like the band may need some more time before they're new sound can be perfected. That is to say, a fantastic album, that could lead to much greater things.