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
- No Plans- Death Cab on Downers
- stated purpose of reviewing Narrow Stairs - to let YOU know what I would have liked to before downloading. so;
1. The best phrase to describe the mood of this piece (not the music, though) is morose, macabre, death obsessed, melancholy, take your pick. evidence; I will possess your heart , the first single is a stalker anthem and difficult in being too long (8.5 min for the uninitiated) for no good reason and certainly not to its benefit. graveyard fires has a nice melody to it and a neat little story, but the first catchy chorus you're going to hear is "they knew it was just a matter of time/ before we all burn " strange as it sounds, this will be one of the most likely snippets to get caught in your head, album wideNo sunlight is catchy also, but as the title indicates, is not a happy tune lyrically, and again the refrain here is "the optimist inside me died" I'm not saying they should have made (an)other "Plans", but clearly they have deliberately reacted against making anything that could remotely be considered a Plans-like song. Interesting results, but when you shy away from fantastic, positive, classic, melodies great lyrics and ultimately and at least a half dozen of the best songs you've ever done, I'm not so sure that's a great direction to head in. What I am saying is, I don't love Narrow Stairs and I can't see myself having it in my rotation 2-3 years from now, unlike Plans.
The first song, Bixby Canyon Bridge really does grow on you though, and is lyrically and sonically varied well, it is not predictable , and does not sound like DCFC in a good way. The same cannot be said for The ice is getting thinner, Cath..., pity and fear, and talking bird, just kind of downers
just good are , long division (catchy chorus about being the "remainder", but the metaphor is kind of forced) you can do better than me (needs no further explanation)
I won't say great, but interesting and challenging are Bixby canyon bridge, I will possess yr heart,no sunlight, grapevine fires, + i like yr new twin sized bed ymmv solid tune, nothing sonictacular.
in short not much fodder for a future greatest hits album here, experiments with a lot of regret to forget about later, and wait for the next one when they come up with another entirely new direction, I will still be there, listening. - 2008-06-20, 0 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- I suppose you can only write so many songs about weddings
- Ah...well, unfortunately this isn't what I was hoping for. The soul of the band seems to be on holiday. Gone are the atmospheres that absorb the listener. But that's ok, cause Death Cab will continue to sell albums.
I don't know...this just sounds listless to me. A couple of good tunes here and there, but the band is capable of so much more than this, and at this point, I've come to expect it. This is a great dissapointment. - 2008-06-16, 1 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- A hit maybe a miss?
- I must say that I was not as thrilled with this album. I was introduced to DCFC, when Transatlantcism was released. I thought Transatlantcism and Plans alike were very solid albums. The kind of album you just push play and let the music do all the talking. However I am somewhat dissapointed with Narrow Stairs. The lyrics are catchy and somewhat dark as usual. The music is well more experimental but still we all know the band is several albums deep and all play there instruments very well. I guess there's just not alot of emotion or thrill with the music this time around. I am not alone in this thought. I have asked several other people and they say the same thing. Do keep in mind that I am not a completist and if you were an avid fan you would probably find more, than I. So no offences and Death Cab truley are a great band just this isn't there finest moment.
- 2008-06-14, 0 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Great for DCFC fans!
- This is a pretty good album, especially if you are a Death Cab fan already, but it is not one of their best in my opinion. There are a couple great songs on the album like "Bixby Canyon Bridge" and "Grapevine Fires", but most are simply okay. However, it could be me because I really did have high expectations for this album. A definite must-have for DCFC fans, but anyone trying them for the first time might have a greater appreciation for "Plans" or "Photo Album".
- 2008-06-14, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- The Culmination
- I'm pretty sure I own every DCFC recording. In this album I can hear pieces of all the others, even "Chords", arranged in the perfect package. Ben's lovelorn lament turned out to be the perfect catalyst for the culmination of a lot of ideas they have shared with us over the past several years. This album is heartbreaking, reflective, inspiring, brilliant.
Mark Kozelek's recent release is a breathtaking composition where lyrics and melody are seamless. A true gift reflective of his talent. For me this album is right there if not better on that score. The best part is that one can tell this is not just a Ben and Chris joint. Jason and Nick clearly influenced this album more than any others - you can just hear it.
This is probably my album of the year so far, and far better than releases from some other indie stalwarts (don't buy this packaged with MMJ before you read the reviews - and do yourself a favor and read Pitchfork's). Thank you, baby Jesus, for DCFC. - 2008-06-12, 2 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
