Collegiate Times

Review: Death Cab for Cutie's "The Open Door"

Tom's Take

Taking unreleased recordings from the sessions that produced Death Cab for Cutie's last LP, the moderately enjoyable "Narrow Stairs," the Seattle group has put together an enjoyable five song EP. What's going to attract a lot of attention from longtime fans here is the difference between the feel of these songs and those on the band's last LP.

Whereas their last record showed Death Cab at their most deliberate, taking their sweet time to build momentum on the five minute opener "Bixby Canyon Bridge," and the eight-minute long "I Will Possess Your Heart," this EP settles the musical pacing out a little more evenly. Even the self-loathing in the lyrics of "A Diamond and a Tether" is carried by a mid-tempo guitar strum more suitable for a sunny afternoon than a rainy day. You wouldn't expect to hear "Pity, take pity on me / 'Cause I'm not half the man I should be / Always turning to run from the people I should not be afraid of" in the numerous venues the band is playing across the country this summer. At least it should give the bleeding hearted, emo-loving kid a moment's respite from the summer sunshine, but I digress.

Without the pretense of sadness and despair, what we have here is a very well constructed collection of pop tunes. The first song in the collection, "Little Bribes," is a big change of pace for the Death Cab crew. I don't think I've heard them hasten the tempo of one of their songs to such a pace since "We Looked Like Giants," and it's a pretty refreshing move for a trite tale about a gambler down on his luck.

The same idea is pervasive throughout the rest of the EP, with "My Mirror Speaks" and "I Was Once a Loyal Lover, picking up the time signature for the benefit of the overall collection. Of course you can't expect a quickened pace throughout the entirety of a Death Cab record, and that's where the rerecorded version of "Talking Bird" comes in. Foregoing the full band arrangement for a lone ukulele, the ballad is sure to become a staple for the half-hearted hipster couples of the world. It doesn't quite have the conviction or pop muscle of "I Will Follow You into the Dark", but then again, that just might be the reason why they love it.

Since their jump to a major record label, tracing the development of Death Cab for Cutie hasn't been the exercise in degradation that happened to their many notable indie peers (see: The Strokes, The Pixies, Nirvana).

This EP is probably most important in demonstrating that frontman Ben Gibbard hasn't lost the ability to construct pop songs like those that catapulted him over teenager's speakers across the country. No ladies (and emotionally in-tune gentlemen), Death Cab has still got the magic.

Grade: B+

Jonathan's Take

Death Cab For Cutie are back with a new five track EP called "The Open Door," which surveys the undiscovered provinces of their last release, "Narrow Stairs." Although their most recent release was Grammy-nominated, it has been critically panned either as a masterpiece or a dud, depending on who's evaluating. 

EP opener "Little Bribes" may not resemble the shady nature of the rest of the record, but it echoes a preppy and aggressive acoustic riff that holds a groove of its own. Guitarist and singer Ben Gibbard and lead guitarist Chris Walla have fun with the blues scale on this one. "Little Bribes" certainly wouldn't have fit into "Narrow Stairs." Similar to the glittering groove of "Company Calls" on "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes," the lyrics are clever, expressing a continuum of skin-deep sarcasm that resembles the gratuities of gambling.

Throughout, Gibbard's voice is as expressive and accessible as we can expect. Later on the road, "My Mirror Speaks" offers a comfortable blend that reflects some of the cooling guitar riffs in "Cath..." and the full pulse of the crowd pleasing "Title and Registration." This track could have been a standout on "Narrow Stairs," contributing a taste of velocity with supporting cast of hand clapping. "My Mirror" may be perhaps one of the best songs on the record that combines a evocative falsetto with tremendously reflective lyricism. 

"I always fall in love with an open door with a horizon on an endless sea. As I look around the ones who were standing right in front of me and then my mirror speaks with a reverence like a soldier I can't command, it sees a child in the body of a full-grown man," Gibbard sings. 

A tight rhythm propels the EP's strongest straight-forward indie-pop song into an extroverted climax that gives way to "I Once Was a Loyal Lover." "Loyal Lover" has a grinding, vaporous distortion that might not have worked on "Narrow Stairs," but it provides an ample closure to the thread. The final track on the EP "Talking Bird" is a reworking of one of the highlights off Narrow Stairs. The track is stripped bare, but the soothing ukulele reinforces that simplicity is often best. 

Overnight recording sessions and relentless dedication by Walla have been paying off historically with short bursts of melodic goodness that melt away like Bremerton snow. The full length mother ship aside, "The Open Door" should be evaluated under an EP mindset. 

However, Death Cab seems to always be an exception. With such strong previous EP releases like "The Forbidden Love" or "John Byrd," it's difficult to conjure up some sort of standard. The ambiguity of indie rock shed off critics, but considering their recent exponential development, can we really still consider Death Cab an indie band?

The answer is yes. One great thing about Death Cab For Cutie is that even though their sound keeps expanding and their fan base keeps growing, their mannerisms have stayed the same. Though he strives to sound progressively high and mighty, the lyrical content provided by Gibbard has always been true to his roots. He has taken us to all ends of the spectrum, from bleak and humdrum ruminations to sparkling optimism. "The Open Door" reflects the former, strongly focused on the darker aesthetics that didn't quite mold into "Narrow Stairs'" positive muse. 

Grade: A-