Today was the release date for Death Cab for Cutie's latest album, Narrow Stairs. I haven't had time to fully digest the songs yet, but on on first listen the album is good. Really good.
Advance reviews have played up the album as dark and moody, but it's not anything devastatingly emo. Ben Gibbard's lyrics have never been in the realm of bubbly optimism - they're probably best described as a hopeful realism. This album does have deeper, moodier sounds and lyrics, and it's quite a bit different than past Death Cab albums, but fear not - it has the same thoughtful lyrics and smooth and deliberate musical vibe.
The Narrow Stairs single is "I Will Possess Your Heart." If you haven't heard it yet, here's the radio edit version at four and a half minutes (the official song and video are eight and a half minutes long).
I listened to Plans earlier today, and a year after first hearing it I still can't get enough of most of the songs. We'll see over the next few weeks how Narrow Stairs compares in replayability.
I have to admit, as much as I love Death Cab for Cutie, I'm just slightly more in love with the Ben Gibbard/Dntel joint musical project, The Postal Service. Recent interviews make a follow-up to Give Up look highly unlikely, but at least Death Cab is going strong for my Ben Gibbard fix. I really should look up Dntel music to add more techno-vibe to my library.
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