Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Reviewed by Mike

It’s always hard to pin the moment a band shifts from Indie sweetheart to MOR soup. In this case, it’s very easy. Narrow Stairs is the 6th proper full length. By now, everyone has an idea who Death Cab for Cutie are. Their legend has been largely made from a few hits which rocked the world of OC fame and Paris Hilton types. The Track Crack:

1. Bixby Canyon Bridge: 6.0

The track starts out with a sweeping, mellow intro that’s a bit catchy, then morphs into some ham-handed attemp at King Crimson. Gibbard’s story about standing beneath the Bigsby Canyon Bridge is endearing and sounds sincere, however.

2. I Will Possess Your Heart: 3.0

The first half of the song is a rather uninteresting instrumental passage, which flows into Gibbard singing “I will possess your heart”. I don’t think anyone’s buying it since the delivery is as convincing as a Wal Mart greeter.

3. No Sunlight: 7.0

A cantering drum beat with nice interplay from the other instruments(particularly the bass) kicks off the tune. Gibbard repeats the line “no sunlight” throughout the song, reflecting on being young. Of question however is the almost MOR sounding engineering/production, which sucks away any edge the song could have had.

4. Cath….. : 3.0

A very familiar but powerful guitar riff dominates most of this song. There’s mention of a “hand me down wedding dress”, which invokes thoughts of a simpler time, in a simpler place. That moment is what this song offers, along with lots of Matthew Sweet. I’m not sure if the title refers to a woman or a catheter. I think it’s interchangeable.

5. Talking Bird: 4.0

“The longer you think, the less you know what to do”. Apparently they thought alot when conjuring up this track.

6. You Can Do Better Than Me: 8.0

Probably the song of the album. It’s tinged with early 60’s pop bravado and ringed with sincere contemplations of perhaps staying in a relationship out of fear. At around 2 minutes, it’s a short track that infers Death Cab does better when they have less to say.

7. Grapevine Fires: 2.0

When this song first started, I thought I had accidentaly switched to a Christian Rock station. Ruminations of wine and paper cups aren’t enough. We’re not saved.

8. Your New Twin Sized Bed: 4.0

This is plain and simple MOR, from the generic production/engineering to vocals that scream “I’m sick of this song already and I just wrote it”.

9. Long Division: 3.0

Pretty standard stuff. Nothing innovating, nothing unexpected, forced chorus and ok lyrics.

10. Pity and Fear: 5.0

A funky afro-Gabriel beat introduces this song, but Gibbards vocals are too far upfront, while the power of the instruments are drowned out. From there, the song trudges into mediocrity.The melody for the line “no tears just pity and fear” is incredibly familiar. The big “rock out” towards the end is about exciting as doing the dishes.

11. The Ice Is Getting Thinner: 7.0

Gibbard opens the song with a moving line about “the ice getting thinner”. He sounds sincere and interested on this track, perhaps because it was written as a closer in mind. It’s a bit hackneyed and familiar, but it works.

Album Total: 4.72/10

Response Keywords after hearing this album:

Bored Tired Same Forced Flat Melancholic

Narrow Stairs suffers from too much of nothing inbetween the intro and closer, both of which are quality songs. Those looking for a fresh record or sense of adventure should steer clear.

You can buy the album here:

Narrow Stairs