Reviewing Narrow Stairs

From time to time I'm going to post stuff about shows, movies or albums I like. Today I will talk about the album that has been near the top of my iPod shuffle for awhile now. Death Cab for Cutie's Narrow Stairs is their latest record and in my opinion the most diverse and complete to date. The sound of the record is a big departure from Transatlaticism or even 2005's Plans. Up to this point the band has been more into synth as less traditional modes of delivery. Narrow Stairs sees Death Cab start to explore a more "rock" centric sound.

Right from the intro song "Bixby Canyon Bridge" we can tell this is a different approach from the band. "Bixby" is one of my favorite tracks on the record and immediately sets a tone that will be carried throughout the album. Gibbard's voice has never been overpowering but he has knack for letting it filter in between the rest of the band's sound that blends everything together. The distortion from the guitars on this while Gibbard sings about journeying to the grave of Jack Kerouac is an example of the blend I mentioned above.

The second track was the first single and was the song that let die hard fans and new converts alike know this album was a very different Death Cab. "I will Posses your Heart" clocks in at over 8 minutes long and sounds NOTHING like what they had done in the past. I really loved this song when it was out as the single and a few months later it's still a song I will skip to.

Other track's that standout include- Cath, You can do better than me and the song that best fits my relationship status "The Ice is Getting Thinner". If you have gone through a relationship of any real length, and I'm talking year(s) people that went through the inevitable periods of compromise, settling and slow decay then you can relate to that song in a big way. The way the song starts out caught my attention right away

We're not the same, dear, as we used to be The seasons have changed and so have we There was little we could say and even less that we could do To stop the ice from getting thinner under me and you

Not to get too emo (that was so 5 years ago for me) but that sums up what can happen between two people who have been together for awhile pretty well.

The best song on the record for me is "Grapevine Fires" which is just another perfectly haunting love song from a band that has already produced several. Gibbard describes the wildfires in California from two years back and the band's musical arrangement behind his soft yet powerful vocals makes for a fantastic mellow song on an album featuring a more distorted sound.

The only throwaway track is "Talking Bird", usually there is 1 or 2 songs on a Death Cab album that don't do it for me and Narrow Stairs is no exception. However, this was the first CD from them where I really got into the other tracks so pressing skip 1 time isn't that big of a burden for me.



So there you have it some random guy's opinion on Narrow Stairs. I think next post will be over the Chicago trip (with pics!) and then a review of 30 Rock where I list the many reasons why I love that show to death.