Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism

The new album, Transatlanticism, by Death Cab for Cutie should cap off a whirlwind year for frontman Benjamin Gibbard. This year saw Gibbard go from indie/emo underground hero with his “Godzilla-stomp” stage presence, to SubPop Indie king with his “side project,” The Postal Service. After hearing Transatlanticism, I think Gibbard and bandmates can finish off the year on a positive note.

Oh, and by the way, there are other members in the band. Chris Walla, who has been Gibbard�s partner in crime, almost since the beginning, once again takes the helm for the production duties. While Gibbard was doing his thing with the Postal Service, Walla was increasing his reputation for production expertise at labelmate John Vanderslice’s studio. Up to this point Walla has produced a handful of albums for bands including Hot Hot Heat and The Velvet Teen. Nick Harmer is back for the bass duties and there is a new drummer (surprise, surprise) whose name is Jason McGerr. McGerr is the fifth person to fill the most volatile slot in Death Cab for Cutie, which has been a band since their early demos in 1997 and 1998.

Since their 1999 debut, Something About Airplanes, they have released an additional three albums, and two of the best EP’s I own. The albums are good, but I might argue that Death Cab’s greatest asset is their ability to work with the short form and still have it sound like a complete work. The Stability EP might truly be their best work to date even though it is only three songs and includes a cover of Bjork’s All Is Full of Love. The thing is, that even in a short period of time, they are able to take a listener on a ride. Gibbard enunciates his lyrics, which he writes almost exclusively in complete sentences, as the music grows and fades in unpredictable manners. We have all heard more than our fair share of verse, chorus, verse, soft, loud, soft, clich�s that seem to pepper popular music every single year, but Death Cab doesn’t follow that convention.

With this in mind, I started wading through the eleven songs that make up Transatlanticism (hint, the C is soft like an S.) The album begins with The New Year. “So this is the New Year, and I don�t feel any different” From the bombastic guitar riff beginning to the breakdown I could feel that I was in for a ride. Expo ‘86 is a highlight, as it builds from the noodlings of Walla’s guitar that have become a staple in Death Cab’s sound. The contrast from the sparse notey section to the head-bobbing chorus is infectious, heavy enough to interest the indie/emo audiences without ever letting it rip enough to interest the hardcore/metal crowd, Death Cab do all they can to rock without officially rocking. To this point in the album, I can’t identify a new direction that the band has taken, but they haven’t written songs that sound like their previous work either.

The Sound of Settling is ok, and when I heard Tiny Vessels I thought it would probably be the highlight of the album. This takes us through track six. What I soon realized is that the album doesn�t even begin until Transatlanticism, the track for which the album was named. A strange rhythm, simplistic piano, and the naked voice of Gibbard. The intricate verses, the simplistic chorus, the building of a symphony out of hardly anything at all. This eight-minute exercise in layering is by far their greatest moment as a band, all the way through to the celebratory sing-along finish. “So come on.” It isn�t necessarily a sad song, especially by indie/emo standards which have been set by the likes of Dashboard Confessional, but it is such a mixture of feelings. Like a somber celebration or a glorious defeat, it tugs at a strand in your heart while telling you everything will be alright.

Transatlanticism acts like a gateway into the second half of the album. You almost forget that the first part even existed. Not since records and tapes have I seen such a Side A to Side B organization to an album. The only thing I can�t figure out is whether Transatlanticism should have closed out Side A or opened Side B.

Passenger Seat is the calm after the storm that was Transatlanticism. Death of an Interior Decorator seems like a throw-in song that is reminiscent of the “waltz” tunes that Elliott Smith does on XO. We Looked Like Giants, a song of college sexual experimentation raises the action level, no pun intended. “I would brave those mountain passes, and you�d skip your early classes and we�d learn how our bodies worked,” It is probably the most urgent song on the album before it resolves itself to a breathy finish. Which brings us to A Lack of Color to end the adventure with minimalist acoustic sparseness.

This album has a number of good songs, but it is amazing what one song can do for an entire album. Without Transatlanticism to bridge the gap from “Side A” to “Side B” and raise the emotional bar, I am not sure what my impressions of this album would be. Luckily, I don�t have to think about that.

(Transatlanticism comes out on October 7th from Barsuk Records)

01 The New Year
02 Lightness
03 Title and Registration
04 Expo ‘86
05 The Sound of Settling
06 Tiny Vessels
07 Transatlanticism
08 Passenger Seat
09 Death of an Interior Decorator
10 We Looked Like Giants
11 A Lack of Color

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