2008 Woodie Awards
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs reviewed
No formula for success
by Laura Dattaro
Issue date: 5/13/08 Section: Mosaic
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Death Cab for Cutie
Atlantic Records
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
To say that an album is all about sound might seem like an obvious statement, but for much of the music that graces the radiowaves, it's a rare find. With Narrow Stairs, Death Cab for Cutie's second album since its switch to Atlantic Records, the band truly places sound on a pedestal, leaving its audiences with a musically challenging listen.
For casual Death Cab fans, singles such as "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" (Plans, 2005) epitomize what the band is about - gorgeous melodies paired with Ben Gibbard's honest voice. While that aspect is still present, Narrow Stairs takes the spotlight off Gibbard, revealing the band's talent as a cohesive unit. Tracks such as "Talking Bird" allow the frontman to show off his goods, but it's the moments where he steps down that the album shines.
At this point in their career - the band is now in its 11th year - the members of Death Cab were able to rely on their success and create an album that pins mass appeal on the bottom of the priority list. While there are potential singles throughout, most notably "You Can Do Better Than Me" and "Cath..." the band's focus clearly lies elsewhere.
There is no standout track on Narrow Stairs, which is entirely the point. It's easy to get lost in the repetitive drones peppered throughout, such as on opener "Bixby Canyon Bridge" and "The Ice is Getting Thinner," especially with the attention paid to transitions. Many of the songs don't end - or start, for that matter - but rather blend together in a way that gives the whole product a sincere, live-performance feel.
The band cleverly plays with time throughout, with tracks ranging from the eight-minute "I Will Possess Your Heart" to "You Can Do Better Than Me" (1:59). Straying from the three-minute intro, phrase, chorus, bridge, repeat formula that dominates the majority of pop music forces listeners to consider the album as a whole rather than the sum of its parts.
Narrow Stairs has just enough familiarity to attract new fans and more than enough experimentation to please long-time followers. While it wouldn't be surprising if some of these tracks reach top Billboard status, Death Cab has achieved another kind of success, one more appropriate and praise-worthy for a band in its mature stages.
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