Narrow Stairs
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend 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. Product details and pricing info |
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100 Customer Reviews Posted
- 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.
This is not because I did not like "Plans". I loved side one of that record, or what would have been side one in the olden days. And though the second half of the record was fairly weak, it still was not the type of record that would cause one to completely write off a band.
Maybe it was the lead single from this album, the eight minute long "I Will Possess Your Heart", a slow build of a song that never quite finds it's melody or intention.
Either way, I have just now, a month and a half after it's release gotten around to picking up "Narrow Stairs", and I have to say that I am truly happy that I did, as it is a very strong record.
All the press that was circulating for this album before it's release commented on how this was the darkest Death Cab record yet, and though there is some truth to that, one really shouldn't expect a Bauhaus record here. On the contrary, to counteract Ben Gibbard's downbeat lyrical stance this time, the band has created some of their brightest melodies yet. "You Can Do Better Than Me", a brief song just under two minutes, sounds like an outtake from "Pet Sounds" with it's careful studio tricks and bell percussion. "No Sunlight", a terrific song about the death of an optimist, bounces along to a New Wave bass line and powerful drum beat. "Cath", the records stand out track, Gibbard sings about a girl on her wedding day feeling as though she is making a mistake, while the band backs him up with a startlingly pretty guitar track, on of the best that the band has ever come up with, that feels shoegazer without the accompanying self doubt.
Musically and production wise, in fact, this is one of Death Cab's stronger records to date I think. Multi-instrumentalist/ producer Chris Walla wraps the songs in a sound that mixes overdubs and the sound of a live band bashing a record out in their basement in equal measure, and the band turn in some of their most passionate performances to date.
The one thing that keeps this record from being great, in my opinion, though is Gibbard's lyrics. Though a few songs are terrific ("I Will Possess Your Heart", which sounds far better on record than it did as a single, and "Cath"), most feel pasted together and written on the fly, following the same stories and characters that Gibbard has sung about in the past, but with no new view points or perspective. And am I the only one who find "The Ice Is Getting Thinner" a little laughable?
But the shortcomings of the lyrics are a small qualm when the music is as strong and well written as it is here. "Narrow Stairs" is not Death Cab's best record, but it is better than the scatter shot "Plans", and a more than worthy addition to their staggeringly strong catalong of albums. - 2008-06-26, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Buy It!
- Phenomenal cd, definitly check it out if you're a dcfc fan or just into this genre.
- 2008-06-24, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Not "dark" or "experimental," but better than "Plans"
- I don't understand why all of the critics and reviewers have been referring to "Narrow Stairs" as Death Cab's "darkest album yet." Personally, I think it sounds a lot brighter and more energetic than a lot of their other releases, especially with tracks like "No Sunlight" and "Long Division." The subject matter isn't any darker, either; Death Cab have been known for having depressing lyrics all the way back to "Something About Airplanes."
That being said, this is still a very good album. A lot of the new songs resemble songs from the "Photo Album" era, which is a good thing. It certainly isn't their best, as that title currently belongs to "Transatlanticism," but in my opinion it definitely surpasses "Plans" and takes a fairly high place in their discography. Like "Plans," though, not all of the tracks are Death Cab at their finest, and songs like "You Can Do Better Than Me" and "Pity and Fear" sound dull and uninspired. However, the majority of the tracks, such as "Bixby Canyon Bridge" and "Your Brand New Twin-Sized Bed," are very fresh and exciting to listen to.
Overall, it's not perfect, but it's still pretty good. And unlike what everybody is raving about, it's not "dark" or "experimental." It's the same old Death Cab releasing a new album of pretty good songs. - 2008-06-24, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Great CD
- It's a great cd. The songs all have a different feeling from one another, and it definately isn't repetative. The transitions between the songs have a nice feeling to them where at times the songs sound almost as if they are an extention of one another. I have no complaints about anything The vocals are well done, and the lyrics themselves go well with the music. I say it's more than worth the money to buy the cd.
- 2008-06-23, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- You can never go wrong with Death Cab
- The usual fine effort by Death Cab. And, as usual, the songs are not full of joy and happiness. But the insight and lyrics are most excellent.
- 2008-06-21, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
