Death Cab for Cutie is often cited as one of the greatest indie rock success stories of the last decade, and rightfully so. The seeds of buzz were planted with an eight song cassette in 1997 titled Songs You Can Play With Chords, sprouting more in the early '00s among the indie community (sadly due to their appearances from Fox's The OC), and finally blooming in 2003 with their critically acclaimed Transatlanticism. With Narrow Stairs, "the little band that could" debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 and is now playing at venues as large and populated as any other big name band venues. Luckily, with the ever-increasingly lures of becoming more mainstream, their creativity hasn't waned. 2008's Narrow Stairs serves as sufficient proof for this.
Narrow Stairs' opener "Bixby Canyon Bridge" immediately showcases one of the biggest reasons for the band's success; Ben Gibbard's pure and harmless vocals. They serve as a big fat hook those who are just trying to get a taste of the growing pot of indie rock stew but have been deterred by some of its alternative flavors. However, please don't be mistaken. Not all of the band's content is laced with flowers and sunshine, especially with this most recent release. While Gibbard's vocals seem innocuous, they often exhibit very dark and somber undertones, making the band well worth exploring.
Take for example the second track of the album "I Will Possess Your Heart". After the both atypical and entrancing four-minute jam introduction, the lyrics unfold and it quickly becomes one of the few stalker songs that you'll ever actually enjoy listening to. The dark nature continues throughout the LP. However, we continue to listen because the content it juxtaposed with often uplifting and inspiring songcraft. Not surprisingly, the album follows the band's tendency of concluding with a barebones and heartfelt ballad. "The Ice Is Getting Thinner" is a beautiful closing track, reminiscent of the touching nature of previous closers "Stable Song" and "A Lack of Color" from their two previous albums.
After a few listens, one quickly realizes that Narrow Stairs is filled with some of the most personal material that Gibbard has ever written (which he has admitted in recent interviews). Of course, just because of this we shouldn't pretend that it is HIS album. The entire band plays into the album's sound. Producer/guitarist Chris Walla also lends a good deal to the sound, jumping back and forth between solitary soundscapes to more lush and textured arrangements.
The album succeeds for the most part in creating a continually engaging listen, with Gibbard often serving as a fragile but persistent guiding light to take us through the album's darkness. Despite a few skipable duds (e.g. "Talking Bird", "Grapevine Fires") that hold the album back from attaining it's album-of-the-year candidacy, it still features some of the best songs that the band has ever assembled ("Your New Twin Sized Bed", "Pity and Fear"). Over 10 years into their lifespan and Death Cab for Cutie can still manage to deliver an impressive album to add to their catalogue. While compared a few years ago, the ice that they stand on may have gotten slightly thinner, they're certainly still not falling through any time some.
Key Tracks:
No Sunlight
Your New Twin Sized Bed
Pity and Fear
Final Verdict: 8.0
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