Narrow Stairs
 | Atlantic, 2008, Audio CD Customer Rating: 68 reviews Recommend |
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Narrow Stairs might be the first album recorded by Death Cab for Cutie since Ben Gibbard's former solo project went unexpectedly stratospheric, but Gibbard hasn't let it go to his head. Oh, OK, maybe a little: lead-off single "I Will Possess Your Heart" is an eight minute jam that speeds off on one long, luminous curve before Gibbard's distinctive vocals swing in, sweet and plaintive as ever. Even when indulging their grander visions, though, Death Cab for Cutie are still familiar as the same band that wrote those fragile, winsome songs back before teen drama The OC came knocking. Never knowingly overstated, built from driving rhythms, flourishes of piano and intricate melodies, Narrow Stairs builds grand, emotionally loaded narratives from small, subtle parts. "Your New Twin Sized Bed" hides a deftly articulated tale of heartbreak and loneliness amidst soothing tangles of guitar, while "You Can Do Better than Me" is a sweet miniature that's part Pet Sounds orchestration, part wistful Dear John. This isn't, as Gibbard would previously hint, a dissonant or especially adventurous album. It proves, however, that Death Cab can extend their scope without diluting the pathos or energy of their music, and it not only sounds great, but bodes well for the future. — Louis Pattison
After relentless touring, performances on Saturday Night Live, and appearing on the cover of Spin and Paste Magazines, Death Cab for Cutie brings us Narrow Stairs. Following up their DVD collection, Directions, which sold over 30,000 copies and their platinum selling album, Plans, was no easy task but Narrow Stairs has already been praised by MTV.com as the band's most daring and adventurous effort to date.
- Bixby Canyon Bridge
- I Will Possess Your Heart
- No Sunlight
- Cath…
- Talking Bird
- You Can Do Better Than Me
- Grapevine Fires
- Your New Twin Sized Bed
- Long Division
- Pity And Fear
- The Ice Is Getting Thinner
Title: Narrow Stairs
Sales Rank: 11 in Music
Artist: Death Cab for Cutie
Label: Atlantic, 2008-05-13, Audio CD, 1 Disc
Package Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches, 0.2 pounds
- Another Solid Effort
- This album is different from any other DCFC album, but it still deserves five stars. I agree with another reviewer that the songs on the album do not sound repetative. Each song has a unique sound, but somehow the album works as complete work of art. The songs are different from each other, but they also compliment each… More reviews
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The album marks a significant departure from the older strictly indie recordings of 'Something about Airplanes', and 'We Have the… More reviews
- Return to some form...
- 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… More reviews
- Narrow Stairs
- 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.
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- Buy It!
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