Death Cab for Cutie are not sell-outs. Yes, a great deal of their success can be credited to placement on dreaded TV dramas. So what if they have signed to a dreaded major record label (Atlantic). But with Narrow Stairs, their second major label release, Death Cab for Cutie makes it abundantly clear that even though their pockets are filled, they're not phoning this one in.
This is immediately apparent on the album's first two songs. "Bixby Canyon Bridge" shows the band in their most experimental and aggressive state, culminating in a big instrumental breakdown at the end that mixes the styles of Radiohead, Sonic Youth and Led Zeppelin. It's a type of song that's just begging to be performed live. This was an obvious goal of theirs as they used their major record label money to specially design their studio so they could see each other in their individual rooms, creating a noticeable live dynamic.
Death Cab follows with the single "I Will Possess Your Heart," a beautiful song about unrequited love. The track's most notable aspect is the extended bass intro that sounds similar to Phish and nothing you would hear from a major pop band. The intro creates a remarkable amount of tension that perfectly echoes the song's sentiment.
Still, a 4-minute bass intro on a single is unfathomable. How can it be expected to compete on Top-40 radio when Hannah Montana could fit almost two songs into the same time frame as the bass introduction? Death Cab may be selling out, but at least they are reveling in their artistic freedom.
This is immediately apparent on the album's first two songs. "Bixby Canyon Bridge" shows the band in their most experimental and aggressive state, culminating in a big instrumental breakdown at the end that mixes the styles of Radiohead, Sonic Youth and Led Zeppelin. It's a type of song that's just begging to be performed live. This was an obvious goal of theirs as they used their major record label money to specially design their studio so they could see each other in their individual rooms, creating a noticeable live dynamic.Death Cab follows with the single "I Will Possess Your Heart," a beautiful song about unrequited love. The track's most notable aspect is the extended bass intro that sounds similar to Phish and nothing you would hear from a major pop band. The intro creates a remarkable amount of tension that perfectly echoes the song's sentiment.
Still, a 4-minute bass intro on a single is unfathomable. How can it be expected to compete on Top-40 radio when Hannah Montana could fit almost two songs into the same time frame as the bass introduction? Death Cab may be selling out, but at least they are reveling in their artistic freedom.
