"This won't be the last you'll hear from me: it's just the start. I hope that he keeps you up for weeks like you did to me," sings Ben Gibbard on the song "For What Reason."
Some avid music fans might not think lyrics like that will go very far. For Ben Gibbard, they have. Gibbard is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. Hailing from Bellingham, Washington, Gibbard released an 8-track cassette tape titled You Can’t Play These Songs with Chords in 1997. After this release Gibbard enlisted a full band, which currently consists of himself, guitarist, pianist, and producer Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Jason McGerr.
The band’s first commercial success was their album Plans released in August of 2005 on Atlantic Records. This was the first time the band had left their longtime label Barsuk Records. On the band’s official website Gibbard stated nothing would change except that "next to the picture of Barsuk holding a 7", there will be the letter "A" on both the spine and back of our upcoming albums."
Plans became the defining album for the band, landing them a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album of 2005. They lost to The White Stripe’s Get Behind Me Satan. Shortly after, they achieved gold status and then platinum in May of 2008.
Death Cab for Cutie is the epitome of a "mainstream indie" band. I say "mainstream" because of their commercial success but also "indie" because of their musical and business style. The band has not changed who they were since their inception. Despite switching labels and gaining a larger fan base they have stayed the same.
This is something I enjoy about this band. They are naturally progressing as a band. Now I am not the biggest fan of their latest music and dislike the fact that they contributed a song to the widely popular book and film series ‘Twilight’, but I do respect them as a band.
Since their album Plans they have released Narrow Stairs in 2008 and The Open Door EP in 2009. Narrow Stairs has been the greatest jump in musical style for the band. They have changed their sound from their older albums. There is a logical order to this change though.
Now the band is focusing on their newest album Codes and Keys, which will be released in May of this year. In an interview with Spin, Gibbard said that the album will be more keyboard-based, which is a change from their previous guitar-based albums. This is also the first time Chris Walla have co-produced the record. In an interview with soonermusic.com Walla said that "it was time. This is our seventh record and I’ve mixed everything that we’ve ever done save for like two or three songs. It just seemed like… It seemed like it was one the right batch of songs to do it with … It just felt like the right thing to do."
Death Cab for Cutie is currently preparing for the release of this album. They are playing a few concerts leading up the release of the album.
As I wait for this album I feel like Gibbard as he sings "Information travels faster. In the modern age, in the modern age. As our days are crawling by so slowly," on their song "Information Travels Faster" from their 2001 album The Photo Album. If only the album could come sooner and not just the information about it.
For more updates on Death Cab for Cutie's upcoming album Codes and Keys see their official website.
Some avid music fans might not think lyrics like that will go very far. For Ben Gibbard, they have. Gibbard is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. Hailing from Bellingham, Washington, Gibbard released an 8-track cassette tape titled You Can’t Play These Songs with Chords in 1997. After this release Gibbard enlisted a full band, which currently consists of himself, guitarist, pianist, and producer Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Jason McGerr.
The band’s first commercial success was their album Plans released in August of 2005 on Atlantic Records. This was the first time the band had left their longtime label Barsuk Records. On the band’s official website Gibbard stated nothing would change except that "next to the picture of Barsuk holding a 7", there will be the letter "A" on both the spine and back of our upcoming albums."
Plans became the defining album for the band, landing them a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album of 2005. They lost to The White Stripe’s Get Behind Me Satan. Shortly after, they achieved gold status and then platinum in May of 2008.
Death Cab for Cutie is the epitome of a "mainstream indie" band. I say "mainstream" because of their commercial success but also "indie" because of their musical and business style. The band has not changed who they were since their inception. Despite switching labels and gaining a larger fan base they have stayed the same.
This is something I enjoy about this band. They are naturally progressing as a band. Now I am not the biggest fan of their latest music and dislike the fact that they contributed a song to the widely popular book and film series ‘Twilight’, but I do respect them as a band.
Since their album Plans they have released Narrow Stairs in 2008 and The Open Door EP in 2009. Narrow Stairs has been the greatest jump in musical style for the band. They have changed their sound from their older albums. There is a logical order to this change though.
Now the band is focusing on their newest album Codes and Keys, which will be released in May of this year. In an interview with Spin, Gibbard said that the album will be more keyboard-based, which is a change from their previous guitar-based albums. This is also the first time Chris Walla have co-produced the record. In an interview with soonermusic.com Walla said that "it was time. This is our seventh record and I’ve mixed everything that we’ve ever done save for like two or three songs. It just seemed like… It seemed like it was one the right batch of songs to do it with … It just felt like the right thing to do."
Death Cab for Cutie is currently preparing for the release of this album. They are playing a few concerts leading up the release of the album.
As I wait for this album I feel like Gibbard as he sings "Information travels faster. In the modern age, in the modern age. As our days are crawling by so slowly," on their song "Information Travels Faster" from their 2001 album The Photo Album. If only the album could come sooner and not just the information about it.
For more updates on Death Cab for Cutie's upcoming album Codes and Keys see their official website.
1 comments:
AH i love Death Cab For Cutie and their lyrics are usually really powerful. This is really is a really interesting post! I also really like the layout of your blog, it is really different from the rest of ours !
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