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album review
After spending the better part of a decade in the musical minor leagues, Death Cab for Cutie went pro with 2005's Plans, a record whose optimism and Technicolor sound gave the band enough leverage to finally enter the mainstream. "Soul Meets Body" became their biggest rock single to date, but it was Ben Gibbard's delicate love song, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark," that earned the quartet a Grammy nomination and legions of new fans. Some bands might have taken a cue from such success and resigned themselves to a career of acoustic ballads, not unlike the Goo Goo Dolls' transformation in the mid-'90s. But Narrow Stairs roughs up Plans' bright palette with something starker, more harrowing, and altogether darkened by Gibbard's blues. No longer crooning about immortal love or his desire to embrace all of Manhattan, the frontman lives inside his own troubled head on these 11 tracks -- or at least the heads of the characters he conjures up with ease, like some music-minded novelist with a knack for pop melodies and witty observations. There's "Cath," an ill-married girl who "holds a smile like someone would hold a crying child," as well as the creepy stalker in "I Will Possess Your Heart," who simply demands that his intended lover give him the time of day. Elsewhere, Gibbard examines a friend's recent heartbreak by referencing her bedroom furniture ("Your New Twin Sized Bed"), offering up his concern -- if not quite his help -- while the band conjures up a lazy summer's day with gauzy keyboards and brightly chiming riffs. Such contrast between music and text plays an occasional role on Narrow Stairs, with songs like "No Sunlight" and "Long Division" pairing somber lyrics with upbeat orchestration. But the album largely paints itself as the darker, mysterious cousin to Plans -- raw rather than polished, heartbroken rather than optimistic, enigmatic rather than energetic. Gibbard strings his words together with an army of free-flowing "ands" and "buts", and the resulting lyrics -- long, uncoiling sentences with no clear end -- mirror his characters' desperate attitudes. Narrow Stairs is far from desperate, however, and the album's willingness to steer Death Cab into unfamiliar territory (or, to reference an earlier lyric, "into the dark"), is by far its strongest asset. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
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- Plans
- Released 2005
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- Transatlanticism
- Released 2003
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- You Can Play These Songs With Chords
- Released 2002
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- We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes
- Released 2000
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listener reviews
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This isn't even the real album
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- By audiohed
- 1/27/2009 05:30:01
- How do we contact Zune Marketplace to tell them that this is the April Fools Day leak version with half of the tracks being performed by another band called Velveteen?
Google it. This is real.
I can't believe I've been listening to this cd for this long without knowing that. But I found it odd that the song "Cath" on the radio sounded like a completely different song than the one on the album I downloaded from the marketplace. Crazy. I feel weird that as a fan of Death Cab I was actually fooled by this. But a professional marketplace like Zune's should have caught this.
Ridiculous. This needs to be fixed. - 0 out of 3 people
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still adjusting
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- By Jaded Nice Guy
- 7/13/2008 23:20:24
- While I came in on Plans I have gone back and checked out many other albums such as Transatlanticism so I understand that every death cab album requires multiple listens before you get it. With that said, I was grossed out when I heard this album at first. Over time I've grown to see that , , and are amazing. I'm still working on it but I'll more than likely come back to tell you that I love the whole thing. Definately check this album out.
- 0 out of 1 people
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different
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- By ickkyyythump
- 5/15/2008 06:17:49
- I think Death Cab took a risk with this album. Its def. upbeat to say the least. I have played it about a million times, and I must say it grows on you. Its not my favorite but it is for sure close. Bixby Canyon Bridge is truly amazing.
- 8 out of 8 people
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A Review of Sorts
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- By Music Live
- 5/8/2008 17:40:55
- Well, I gotta say that I obtained a full version of the Narrow Stairs album (legally of course...*shifty eyes*) and I gotta say that once again I'm only liking a few of the tracks (well four or five of the eleven). Bixby Canyon Bridge, I Will Possess Your Heart, Grapevine Fires, Pity & Fear, and The Ice Is Getting Thinner are all my favorites and sound pretty good. One thing I noticed is that they changed their key to almost a brighter sound but maintain the sadcore lyrics in most of their songs. DCfC has also become a little more aggressive in their guitar playing. A good example of this is toward the middle of Bixby Canyon Bridge. This could be a potential turn-off for previous listeners . It was a little shocking to me at least. And it is more noticeable than you think. <br/>And yes, I Will Possess Your Heart does indeed have a rather long intro but this is not uncommon for them. I actually like it cause its a transition point from Bixby's strong guitars to something more soft, leading up to the lyrical part of I Will Possess Your Heart (last three to four minutes [the song is 8:35 long]) I recall Marching Bands of Manhattan<br/>to have a repeating line for the last two and a half minutes. Just when you thought it would end, well, it kept going. This is just a recent example for you. <br/>All in all, this album is pretty good, leaning more<br/>towards a mainstream (boo-hiss) rock sound that could have DCfC fans running for the Transatlanticism hills. Either way the album has a number of good gems so give it a try and grab the one's you like and be happy. I give this album 3.5 out of 5 for a rating. <br/>As a fan I'll always support them. As always, please support the band by purchasing their music. I will be buying my own copy of Narrow Stairs here (US) on the release date of May 13th.<br/><br/>PS My favorite DCfC song is We Looked Like Giants
- 8 out of 10 people
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