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 For me, this is the "introduction" Feb 22, 2010
Always heard the name, never heard the band.
Is this like yourself? You are intrigued by the band, that supposedly is greatness, but you don't think you are hip enough to listen? Have no fear. Buy this album and I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of listens you will give it. While I test drove this album, I was skeptical. Is it too soft for a fan of the Editors and Interpol? Is there any "crunch" to the guitars to give it teeth? Will I be viewed as a wanna be indie guy for picking this up and touting it to my friends? These are the questions that rang through my gray matter.
As the dust settled, I knew one thing: This album latches on and pulls at all emotions. Happy, sad, lonely, desperate- all of these emotions and many more play out when listening.
Buy it. You won't regret it. Casually fall in love with it. Now I am onto Plans next. We will see which direction I take on that album.
 Boredom barnburner Feb 15, 2010
Oh, how I hate you, Death Cab for Cutie. First of all, I hate your cutesy Bonzo Dog name. I hate your album cover, the way it attempts to be a criticism of our pixel-mad culture, its much ado about meaninglessness. Living in the beneath-culture slagheap, beating against your "chests" with barbells. I hate how dreamy your sissy-boy voice is, Benjamin. I love how greasy children drip chocolate ice cream all over your T-shirts at the putt-putt course.
But, then, hate is just a hopskip away from love, and you have to have actual feelings to worry for very long about either, I suppose. Grab the devil and the angel off your shoulders and squish them together in your hands like you're making a mudpie. I'm getting that floaty feeling again, like David Bowie's trying to mindmeld with me while standing in line at Jamba Juice. Blood tunnels to the engine; little things grow ugly up close and I'm revisiting my youth, pardon me. I'm bug-eyed, splintery fingers working the keys like crabs writhing, but rooted in place.
I write better when I'm upset, but I'm finding it hard to stay angry while floating to nowhere in particular on this white cheddar-flavored cloud. Great, I'll probably be a devout follower of A Prairie Home Companion soon.
Stairway To Heaven Dec 04, 2009
For all their reputation as sensitive emo-types mooning over teen-angst TV shows, the 2008 release from Death Cab For Cutie is almost anything but that stereotype. While the songs here follow Cab Leader Ben Gibbard through his lyrical trials of broken relationships ("Your New Twin Sized Bed") and the girl that got away ("Cath"), the trickier parts of "Narrow Stairs" have so many other things going for it. This is a climb into a dark room, and a very effective one.
The most affected sign of this is the long, obtuse "I Will Possess Your Heart." A near paranoid rant about getting you whether you like it or not (also see "Every Breath You Take") builds to the first verse after more than four minutes of tense instrumental buildup. I'm not claiming DCfC are the new Yes, but this is bordering on prog-rock territory.
I'm also more than inclined to like "Grapevine Fires," a folkish tale of watching the western forest fires in both fear and awe, marveling at nature's force and the nature of love.
"We bought some wine and some paper cups
Near your daughters school when we picked her up
And drove to a cemetery on a hill, On a hill
And we watched the plumes paint the sky gray
But she laughed and danced through the field of graves
And there I knew it would be alright."
Gibbard is stretching himself lyrically through "Narrow Stairs," and unlike Plans, he's shooting for something other than frothy angst flavored milkshakes. It makes this CD their best yet.
 Not terrible, but nothing compared to PLANS Dec 02, 2009
There were definitely some great songs on this album, but it's nothing when compared to the PLANS album. If you're new to Death Cab, and are looking to buy an album, I suggest buying PLANS. Then you can just buy individual songs from this album. If you're a big Death Cab fan(like me), then I'd say this album is still worth owning (I just hope you own PLANS as well).
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"International Edition"--Very Poor Sep 14, 2009
I purchased an "international edition" of Death Cab for Cutie Narrow Staris CD from an Amazon vendor. The sound quality of this CD was very poor. The vendor did offer to refund my money. I do not believe that I will buy international editions of other CD's.
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