Death Cab for Cutie - Drive Well, Sleep Carefully

The documentary Drive Well, Sleep Carefully proves that Death Cab For Cutie are a band on the verge. Change is in the air. The indie darlings have just signed with a major label, Atlantic Records and a mammoth silver tour bus has replaced the comfy old van. Thankfully, film maker Justin Mitchell went on the road with the band to capture what was and give us a peek at what may be in the future for the Seattle-based four piece.

The opening titles of the film Drive Well, Sleep Carefully state that it's "simply the story of a band on the road". But, being that the band is Death Cab For Cutie - it can't be that simple. After all, this band, comprised of members Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer, Chris Walla and Jason McGerr, has got to be the hardest working act on the road. As they put it, "they put the punk in punctual".

They are notorious for being on time and are extreme workaholics but when you've spent most of the past seven years on the road, it's no surprise that they have it down to a science. These are guys who take their craft and the quality of their live shows very very seriously. It's a practice that has served them well though and led to their almost unparalleled success on the indie scene.

Mitchell and his crew do a good job of setting the scene and catching the frantic pace of touring as Death Cab hits festivals and even the famed Wiltern in Los Angeles. It's the higways of the U.S. though that seems to have left tire tracks all over the hearts and souls of this particular band.

They are road warriors in the purest sense of the term. Oh, yes they appreciate the comforts of their new sleek silver beast of a bus, but the band still spends enough time with their feet on the ground to wax poetic about their old van that "couldn't go over 60 without the belts breaking".

Interview segments are largely interspersed with live performances. The filmmakers get it right in letting the songs play out, but somehow they don't quite capture the energy and chemistry of a Death Cab show. The live performances are shot largely from the right or left side.

There are quick cuts of the individual band members getting their groove on, but after a while, you get to wishing that Mitchell would get his cameras down in the crowd for a few wide shots. The solid playing of the band does come across well though and all the songs you hoped for are here including "We Laugh Indoors", "Title And Registration" and "Tiny Vessels".

Most music DVDs are known to skimp on the extras, but Death Cab don't disappoint. The additional interviews where the band discusses their love (um . . . obsession) with the television show The Office is hilarious and gives the individual personalities that make up this group a chance to shine. There are also a few acoustic numbers and a demo.

It's enlightening to hear Death Cab For Cutie describe themselves as being "at the beginning of something" at a time when most bands might be petering out. Changes might be on the horizon for these guys, but as they put it, this band has been working too long for a label to "f*** their situation up". No matter what the future holds in store for Death Cab, their fans are sure to stick around.