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It makes this CD their best yet. I'm not claiming DCfC are the new Yes, but this is bordering on prog-rock territory. 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. "We bought some wine and some paper cupsNear your daughters school when we picked her upAnd drove to a cemetery on a hill, On a hillAnd we watched the plumes paint the sky grayBut she laughed and danced through the field of gravesAnd 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. 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. 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.
If you're new to Death Cab, and are looking to buy an album, I suggest buying PLANS. 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). There were definitely some great songs on this album, but it's nothing when compared to the PLANS album. Then you can just buy individual songs from this album.
The sound quality of this CD was very poor. I do not believe that I will buy international editions of other CD's. I purchased an "international edition" of Death Cab for Cutie Narrow Staris CD from an Amazon vendor. The vendor did offer to refund my money.
Still, I don't recommend this as an introduction to Death Cab. While Plans is a far better album (more accessible, interesting, and appealing), Narrow Stairs is still very good - there are many standout tracks, such as Cath., Grapevine Fires, and The Ice is Getting Thinner. For that, go to Plans, or even better Transatlanticism.
When they have to start creating music for the masses then they tend to lose some of their quality in my opinion. :) The first time I saw them in concert was Bonnaroo 2006 and then I saw them again Bonnaroo 2008. I have seen them twice in concert, and I have to say that I feel that this is the best Death Cab to date. I have talked to people who only like Plans, and I have to say they are missing out.
I own every CD and EP. Most bands dont take well to going mainstream. I am big into the alternative indie scene,and Death Cab was my first indie band favorite. To be a true Death Cab fan is to love their Indie side. I am a Die Hard Death Cab fan.
I felt they were falling down with Plans because I thought maybe they had peaked after Transatlanticism. They were great both times, but better in 2008 after the release of Narrow Stairs.
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