Bw’s Blog

I’ve recently written about how much I like Death Cab For Cutie, and I reviewed their new release, The Open Door EP, but I’ve yet to post about Narrow Stairs.

The band released Narrow Stairs in May of 2008, and have put out four singles including I Will Possess Your Heart, and Cath…, which are two of the best songs off the album. Death Cab is another band that prefers the analog recording process, and producer/guitarist Chris Walla has sculpted the sounds beautifully.

The album sounds smooth, a little shiny, but it still has that analog grit and substance that is rarely found on digitally recorded albums. The instrumentation on this album is another notable addition to it’s substance. Each instrument stands out nicely, while blending with each other at the same time. As a drummer, I can appreciate the subtlety of Jason McGerr’s playing.

I’ve spoken in detail about I Will Possess Your Heart and Cath… in my previous post, so I won’t talk about them again, but I do want to reiterate that I still love these two songs. After first hearing the song Talking Bird on the EP, I can really appreciate the album version. The song is quite slow and simple at first, but this is part of it’s greatness. The distorted guitar is deep sounding and rests nicely in the background. The song is just over three minutes and although it doesn’t get very exciting, it’s still one of my new favorites.

Your New Twin Sized Bed has a fresh sound to it that differentiates it from the other mellower songs on Narrow Stairs. The guitar playing is much brighter and sounds quite happy, while the drums and bass provide an upbeat groove that’s relaxing yet exciting. The song transitions well into the next song, Long Division, which is also fast-paced track.

Pity And Fear is probably the most epic song on the album, and it’s driven by a tabla beat from an electronic drum-machine that was purchased by Ben Gibbard in India. Eventually, acoustic drums are blended in to pick up the energy and add to the slow build of the song. The odd ending has created some negative comments from listeners as the music cuts off rather abruptly, and I was also a little confused by this, but it didn’t ruin the song for me. The final song, The Ice Is Getting Thinner, is a great way to end an album. It’s just guitar and vocals and it’s the calmest song I’ve heard from this band.

Overall, I was fairly impressed by Narrow Stairs, but I’ve come to expect such things from Death Cab For Cutie. The album is recorded well and the performances are great - what more can you ask for?

Sincerely,

BW.

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