Home > Jersey Shore Music > CD Review > Death Cab for Cutie, 'Narrow Stairs'

Backstory: Armed with a cassette EP, Ben Gibbard started Death Cab for Cutie as a solo project in 1997, but soon grew it into a proper quartet that became an indie-rock sensation. 2003’s “Transatlanticism” shot them into the big leagues (and into the arms of a major label), and 2005’s “Plans” earned a Grammy nomination. Proving that hipster lightning does sometimes strike twice, Gibbard also found success as one-half of electro-poppers the Postal Service.

Why you should care: “Narrow Stairs” is one of the most hotly anticipated albums of the season, thanks in large part to months of buzz (from press and band alike) about how the record would be a radical, risky departure.

Verdict: It’s a departure in places, but hardly a reinvention; Death Cab’s not an aggressive bunch, although they have rocked out before. To their credit, they don’t seem interested in just regurgitating “Soul Meets Body” ad nauseum, but if the alternative is interminable and overindulgent jams like the eight-and-a-half minute lead single (“I Will Possess Your Heart”), then maybe “trying something new” is overrated. The good news: despite the scattered fuzzy guitars and pepped up percussion, Gibbard’s strong suit remains his ability to craft a tender pop melody around a confessional lyric—and, for all the smoke and mirrors, that remains the core of “Narrow Stairs,” as borne out by the bittersweet waltz “You Can Do Better Than Me” and the evocative “Grapevine Fires.”

X-Factor: A supposed leak of “Narrow Stairs” became a hot commodity in early April, but only “I Will Possess Your Heart” was accurately represented; the rest of the album, falsely labeled with Death Cab’s song titles, was actually the newest work from a German semi-soundalike named Velveteen.

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