Narrow Stairs

My first official post (and likely the first of many music related posts to come) is a review of Death Cab for Cutie's new release, Narrow Stairs. DCFC is one of my favorite bands of all time (and they have big company to keep... like the Beatles).

The first single, "I Will Possess Your Heart" didn't wow me. Still, I was counting the days till I could get my ears on what iTunes called an "early contender for album of the year."

I was blessed to have a very good friend download it from iTunes the minute it was released and ftp it to me. I have to admit, the first couple of spins in the CD player and on the ipod didn't really awe me. I think The Photo Album (my favorite DCFC album) is a work of art, and Transatlanticism and Plans are staples in my music collection.

But after listening to Narrow Stairs more times than I can count on all my fingers and toes, I am awed and impressed. I can't stop listening to it. My favorite tracks are Bixby Canyon Bridge, Grapevine Fires, Your New Twin Sized Bed, Long Division, and The Ice Is Getting Thinner. I miss the beautiful piano sound on songs like Different Names For The Same Thing, What Sarah Said, and Brothers On A Hotel Bed and the instrumentation seems to take precedence over the lyrics (Ben Gibbard's unparalled lyricisim is what drew me to Death Cab, but one of my new favorite lines comes from Bixby Canyon Bridge "I cursed myself for being surprised/That this didn't play like it did in my mind"), but overall this is a gorgeous album from one of the best indie bands today.