Secretly,
nobody likes change. It's inherent in Humans to gravitate towards
our comfort zones. But who knows where the world would be if it's
residents didn't evolve, grow, move on and move out. Death Cab
For Cutie understands this well enough. Scenesters still decry
this once-loved Indie guitar-pop band for turning their backs
against the underground and entering the major-label studio. But
ultimately, two of Death Cab's most financially and critically
successful works (Transatlantacism and Plans) came from this career
trajectory. So for a band whose style (and gross income) has benefited
so much from change, you'd think they'd be happy to welcome it
back with open arms. But Narrow Stairs shows that, in reality,
Ben Gibbard and co. are as apprehensive towards transformations
as the next person.
The
common consensus is that this is Death Cab's "experimental"
album. But if you've grown attached to their current stream of
OC-friendly guitar pop, you don't have to worry. Narrow Stairs'
perceived experimentalism is more obvious in idea than in practice.
"I Will Possess Your Heart" is probably the main source
of the talk. It opens with 4 instrumental minutes of Can-esque
jamming and spacious atmosphere led by a soulful bass riff. Also,
"No Sunlight" and "Long Division" carry dense,
intricate guitar-play and driving Neu!-style rhythms that distinguish
them from typical Death Cab fare, yet still fit perfectly with
their sing-along qualities. Even though "Pity and Fear"
falls flat in it's attempt at traditional tabla-driven Indian
music, Narrow Stairs' boldest tracks point to what could've been
a spectacular new chapter in Death Cab's career.
But
the biggest problem of the album is that the band seems so resistant
to make the full-fledged leap into the unknown, even though they
clearly have the capabilities. Too many tracks hide behind the
same AM pop territory they hinted at with their last two albums.
In particular, the mid-section spanning from "Talking Bird"
to "Grapevine Fires" settles into a lazy lull of humdrum
hooks. Even after getting back on track with the slinking beauty
of "Your New Twin Sized Bed", "The Ice Is Getting
Thinner" prevails as a completely underwhelming closer, filled
with lifeless cliche that leaves the listeners asking themselves,
"is that it?".
Any
way you look at it, Narrow Stairs is a polarizing album. Death
Cab's experiments are exciting enough to get previous detractors
on board, but those people will undoubtedly be let down by the
straightforward interior. Inversely, those who jumped on board
with Transatlantacism and Plans probably won't welcome the new
influences very nicely. And ex-fans of their first few albums,
will probably fall in love with "Cath..." (which strongly
recalls Something About Airplanes) but will be unimpressed with
both their typical tracks and their new jams. If Death Cab had
just applied to a single mode, they could've retained the focus
that makes all of those aforementioned albums so great. Instead,
what we have is a strange transitional work that offers small
snapshots of the band's strengths and wide-scale landscape photos
of their fears. (Aron Fischer)
For
fans of: Built To Spill, Fleetwood Mac, Postal Service, Pedro
The Lion, Menomena, John Vanderslice
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