Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie: Review

After releasing several albums, EPs and singles while also working with other musicians to make new sounds, Death Cab for Cutie are amazingly still full of inspiration to write new albums, the newest release of these being "Narrow Stairs." Like most albums written by Death Cab, you'll find that every song is done to its most professional standard, unlike most albums where two or three songs are good and the rest just disappoint. Death Cab refuse to make their fans unhappy. if you are thinking of buying a Death Cab for Cutie album to see if they suit your taste, or even if your an old fan and want to see the opinions about this album. This guide will give a song-by-song review of the album.

1. Bixby Canyon Bridge
As the first song to the album, this song begins softly before introducing Ben Gibbards unique singing voice, just as the melodic guitar pattern comes in, this song tells a story of a man visiting an old site where he once spent his time with a love of his, only to realize these times were now gone. Like all death cab songs, this works beautifully if you have a place you used to go to with a previous lover. With memory in mind each word hits you with its brute emotional force, perfect for moving anyone to the core. As the song mentions "you can't see a dream" then continues to say "a dream" the music takes over and begins fill your ears, finally ending back on the same quiet as in the beginning. Finishing on the line "no closer to any kind of truth, as i must assume was the case with you."

2. I Will Possess Your Heart
Starting with a small piano piece, this then enters into the most lovely but least heard of band instruments, a thick and beautiful bass riff starts to play, after half a minute it is joined by small amounts of guitar and drums. Finally reenter the piano to add to the mixture, and out of this recipe you have a perfect instrumental, continuing for roughly four minutes, before the song begins you feel mellowed to the music. The guitar sounds almost as if your inside a dream world, using distortion to its full advantage. Finally incomes the lyrics, speaking about the well known girl everyone has once tried to persuade should go out with them. Claiming like we all did that we will "possess your heart" once again reminding of times when we were young in love.

3. No Sunlight
After 8 and a half minutes No Sunlight is a short song to balance out the equation, its up-beat rhythm begins to show a time of youth and enjoyment, speaking of carefree thoughts. To finally tell that "there was no sunlight" after growing up, and "the optimist died inside of me." This song is about the truth of growing up, but could also be considered as the time when we all look back to days when we were younger, and how much we prefer them to now. another song that hits home to every listener.

4. Cath...
This song is mainly guitar and vocals, the bass and drums stay hidden unless you look for them. This song speaks about a girl, not necessarily happy with the man she is about to marry, obviously symbolizing the girl that was always with the wrong guy. The guitar riff inside this song is magnificent, and plays a strong role in the melody of this song. Ending in a descending slide and instantly starting into the next song.

5. Talking Bird
Slow and soft this song begins with vocals unlike no other, Ben Gibbard plays the main role in this song with his voice and his words being prominent. The song is a long metaphor for the freedom we long for, and the ways we no longer attempt to seek it out, deciding that it is too difficult when it isn't. Finishing with the line "it's all here for you, as long as you don't fly away" suggesting the benefits of staying in society. However it could also be taken as a view of his girlfriend trying to decide if she should leave, and he's giving her space to decide.

6. You Can Do Better Than Me
The title says it all, this song is about the often thought idea that your lover is all too good for you, if you have recently managed to get a girlfriend or boyfriend, give this song a listen to, while maybe reminding you that you feel they are too good for you, it will also remind you just how much you love that person. The lyrics capture perfectly the feeling every person has had at least once in their life. This song is relatively short but the musics short bursts of sound make the song sound longer than it really is, making it more enjoyable.

7. Grapevine Fires
Starting with a drum beat and piano that lowers the mood of any person shows this is a serious song, many have claimed this song to be the best of the album. The song lyrics are in such a way that the "Grapevine fires" are obviously about the wildfires of California, speaking of an experience of the disturbances that occurred the line "we bought some wine and some paper cups, near your daughters school and we picked her up" shows how people were going out and enjoying a day off from work or school, despite the reasons for this. The beautiful melodies played on the piano are beautiful. The long drawn out words in Gibbard's singing makes the song smooth and flowing.

8. Your New Twin Sized Bed
Guitar riffs open this song to a sound unique to the style that death cab manage to perfect. This song talks about someone who feels very lonely, after spending too long being single and gives up. This song is just as amazing as the rest of the songs, and personifies loneliness and a lack of hope perfectly.

9. Long Division
This song is lively and fast paced, speaking of relationships as a mathematical equation, where someone is always left as the "remainder" of the said equation. The line " then they carried on like long division as it was clear with every page, that they were more further away from the solution that would play without a remainder." Speaking of course about the troubles inside relationships to find compromise and often the fights that follow in suit.

10. Pity and Fear
The percussion in this song is different, as bongos are used, with a guitar playing a guitar riff, the thin monophonic style strengthens the voice as it appears to talk about the lifestyle of one night stands, leaving without anything having to happen afterwards. After the chorus the music strengthens and incomes a thicker louder amount of guitar, this song is emotionally strong and shows Death Cab's usual song written about love, relationships and girls when they are about to end, or the view of them ending. All fans of death cab will enjoy this song.

11. The Ice is Getting Thinner
On the same note as "Pity and Fear" this song is about the end of a relationship, the slow tempo allows for this to be the most emotional and sad song in the album, speaking of a love that lasts through the winter, this song speaks of love like its "ice" and the inevitability of breaking up. "When the spring arrived we were taken by surprise when the flows under out feet, bled into the sea, and nothing was left for you and me" mentions the exact point of when the love like a river drains out and leaves them. A very very sad song, good for moving people.

12. I Will Possess Your Heart (Radio Edit)
If you're thinking to yourself "wow i really liked "I will possess your heart" but i didn't enjoy the long intro into it, this song puts that four minutes into forty seconds, allowing for you to enjoy the shorter version based more around lyrics.

Death Cab for Cutie have amazing style and talent unseen by most bands people listen to, i hope you enjoy this album as much as i did.