Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Death Cab For Cutie began as a solo project for Ben Gibbard, and has now flourished into a powerhouse of indie rock, albeit an extremely quiet and calm one. Their seventh album Narrow Stairs was hailed before its release as a change of direction for the band, but despite the rock flourishes and darker moments, the end result still feels just like a Death Cab album – awe-inspiring and containing a stunning depth that few contemporaries could even attempt.

Opening number Bixby Canyon contains all you need to know about the supposedly different Death Cab sound. It starts soft and wilting, with Gibbard’s vocals front and centre as usual. But at the 90-second mark, everything changes, with the vocals fed through a distorter, and drummer Jason McGerr begins pounding away with abandon. It’s still Death Cab, but it’s a different sound for them, and one they revisit throughout the album.

The lead single from the album I Will Possess Your Heart is extended from the radio version to an eight minute epic, but all that is added is four minutes of piano, drums and bass to the start of the song, which adds little overall. It’s an unusual choice of single – even once the song gets started, it’s sparse, and extremely dark, making good use of Gibbard’s ability to gently croon even the creepiest of lyrics. Fans will sing along at concerts, but may feel slightly dirty afterwards.

Elsewhere, there’s a good mix of the old and new Death Cab sounds. No Sunlight pops along, Long Division is upbeat and rocky, and Pity And Fear builds up tension, but never really explodes. There’s still plenty here for the older fans as well – Cath… is delicate even with the pronounced electric riffs, and Your New Twin Sized Bed is another Gibbard song where he builds a lyrical narrative around a simple household item and the emotion that swirls around it. Grapevine Fires is a definite highlight, with its lovely organ work and humming in the background of the chorus.

As usual, Gibbard’s vocals take front and centre in the mix for nearly all the songs, but the instruments behind him do a good job holding their own. McGerr’s drumming is worth paying attention to – it can sometimes be hard to pick behind the various melodies, but when you find it, you’ll realise it’s been holding the songs together all along. Chris Walla and Nicholas Harmer work their magic, although it sometimes feel like it’s all just in service of Gibbard’s vision. Lyrically, he is in fine form. No one can make the creepiest of phrases sound perfectly sweet like him – “I’m starting to feel we stayed together out of fear of dying alone” is pretty damning, but in You Can Do Better Than Me, Gibbard makes it the centrepiece of a song which neither condemns nor praises.

Previous album Plans was the album which brought Death Cab For Cutie mainstream success in the U.S. (less so here in Australia) and although Narrow Stairs doesn’t contain any singles as world-beating as I Will Follow You Into The Dark, it is easily as good as its predecessor. Death Cab For Cutie are the standard to meet when it comes to soft rock, and this album is another excellent effort from a band who continue to raise the bar with each and every release.

Narrow Stairs is out now through Atlantic Records.