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From:Death Cab for Cutie , Atlantic ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#138 |
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 Made for Me (and you), 2008-09-12
I've liked Death Cab ever since my friend introduced me to them in '04 which is a litte late in the game I confess but a fan is a fan. This album seems like a follow-up to The Photo Album rather than Plans. Grapevine Fires has to be one of their best songs to date. I recommend this album to anyone.
1 of 1 customers found the following review helpful:
A Great Band DCFC is, Really, 2008-09-10
I've been a fan of this band for quite some time now and since have found out that singer Ben Gibbard and the band have been making music for almost a decade. He is a true artist in the indie-rock fashion, but did get more "mainstream" recognition with their 2005 release of "Plans". It even got a Grammy nomination and much heavy rotation on radio airwaves everywhere.
"Narrow Stairs" is slightly different from the more pop under-toned "Plans" with it's darker tone and slight sad with songs like "Pity and Fear" and "The Ice Is Getting Thinner". I also liked "I Will Possess Your Heart" which is eight minutes long and features interesting lyrics in the typical Ben Gibbard fashion yet slightly creepier. "You Can Do Better Than Me" bumps things back up to the more chamber-pop alternative side of Death Cab.
The band has always impressed me with their lyrics and the way they are willing to experiment and not try and fit any one style or do what's popular in the music world.
2 of 6 customers found the following review helpful:
 Quick and short review, 2008-09-08
Forget all these long and boring reviews. Here's all you need to know. I'm a huge DCFC fan... have most of the albums. Was very excited when this came out. Other than "I will possess your heart" (which is marginal at best) there is nothing memorable on this album. I hate to say that, but it's true. If this is the next direction of DCFC, they've lost me. There are no melodies that stick in your head. The vocals are too clear and painfully point out weaknesses in Ben's voice. The songs are boring. And they're extremely repetitive (even for DCFC). After my mandatory 3 listens to be fair and give it time to grow on me, I'll likely never play this album again. If you're a DCFC fan, you'll probably get this album anyway just to have it. But if you're new to DCFC, pick something else like Plans or Transatlanticism and you will be much, much happier. I'm not counting them out, and hope the next album will be back to their usual very high standards.
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs, 2008-09-05
Narrow Stairs (2008, Atlantic) Death Cab For Cutie's sixth studio album. ****1/2
I'm not sure that it really matters if Narrow Stairs is of the same caliber as Transatlanticism. What matters is that on its own, Narrow Stairs is a fantastic album, certainly one of the best of 2008 thus far. The tone is very clear, and never does its message of loneliness and wanting, the darkness of unrequited love, get lost in even the upbeat and inspiring music.
"I Will Possess Your Heart" is easily a strong point in the album, but by no means is it the only memorable tune. It's almost too long, for the four-minute instrumental introduction is not necessary at all. But once Ben Gibbard's vocals come in, the undeniable beat of his voice is imposible to ignore. The indie rock and alternative pop/rock quirkiness is fluent throughout the next several tracks; "No Sunlight" is very upbeat, having a quicker tempo and seemingly sunny lyrics. But like everything else, it is almost drenched in lyrics of the attitude that love is not what it seems. "Cath" is a truly frightening song, about the dangers of settling when there appears to be nothing else, and its address to a named person makes it act like a Ben Folds song.
The album's shortest song "You Can Do Better Than Me" is just under two minutes, again about two lovers who stay together due to its comfort. And yet in tragic fashion, Gibbard laments how his lover is superior to himself. With the laid-back "Your New Twin Sized Bed," Death Cab is able to make a very light groove to sit the defeated tone of lines like "What's the point of holding on/To something that never gets used?"
Narrow Stairs is a tightly themed, paced, and sounding album, with no weak points and no lagging. There's no filler, just the best that Death Cab for Cutie could come up with, and they've done a fantastic job. While Narrow Stairs isn't the new Layla, it's about as close as we may come. The powerful beginning of "Bixby Canyon Bridge," with rolling riffs and commanding vocals, all the way to the pitiful ending of "The Ice is Getting Thinner," the end of a tale of two people. With the end, it begs the question of whether the time spent together - even though it was doomed from the beginning - was well worth it for the connection they had, for the fond memories, or if it was merely a waste of time in the journey for the right person. I can't answer the question, but I imagine the Death Cab crew did at some point during the making this record. Outstanding, brilliant, heartfelt. (I Will Possess Your Heart, No Sunlight, Cath, The Ice is Getting Thinner)
the best!, 2008-08-19
As a fan from the "Something about Airplanes" days, I have no problem labeling this the best Death Cab album yet. I was a bit worried after the post-Plans emo-crush on lead singer Ben.. and the breathy vocals he would exhibit on random love-lorn covers and tv appearences.. but this album is totally a masterpiece. I usually start with "You Can Do Better than Me" and my favorite song on the album, "Grapevine Fires." Then I start back from the beginning. The album might be a grower and not as big as "Plans" because their lead single has a 4.5 minute intro that some of the teenybopper fans don't want to sit through, but it's a solid album. Put it on in the background. One day you'll be hooked and realize they've surely outdone themselves here.
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