Narrow Stairs
Narrow Stairs
Track Listing
- Bixby Canyon Bridge
- I Will Possess Your Heart
- No Sunlight
- Cath…
- Talking Bird
- You Can Do Better Than Me
- Grapevine Fires
- Your New Twin Sized Bed
- Long Division
- Pity And Fear
- The Ice Is Getting Thinner
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #16 in Music
- Released on: 2008-05-13
- Number of discs: 1
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.co.uk
Narrow Stairs might be the first album recorded by Death Cab for Cutie since Ben Gibbard's former solo project went unexpectedly stratospheric, but Gibbard hasn't let it go to his head. Oh, OK, maybe a little: lead-off single "I Will Possess Your Heart" is an eight minute jam that speeds off on one long, luminous curve before Gibbard's distinctive vocals swing in, sweet and plaintive as ever. Even when indulging their grander visions, though, Death Cab for Cutie are still familiar as the same band that wrote those fragile, winsome songs back before teen drama The OC came knocking. Never knowingly overstated, built from driving rhythms, flourishes of piano and intricate melodies, Narrow Stairs builds grand, emotionally loaded narratives from small, subtle parts. "Your New Twin Sized Bed" hides a deftly articulated tale of heartbreak and loneliness amidst soothing tangles of guitar, while "You Can Do Better than Me" is a sweet miniature that's part Pet Sounds orchestration, part wistful Dear John. This isn't, as Gibbard would previously hint, a dissonant or especially adventurous album. It proves, however, that Death Cab can extend their scope without diluting the pathos or energy of their music, and it not only sounds great, but bodes well for the future. --Louis Pattison
Amazon.com
After relentless touring, performances on Saturday Night Live, and appearing on the cover of Spin and Paste Magazines, Death Cab for Cutie brings us Narrow Stairs. Following up their DVD collection, Directions, which sold over 30,000 copies and their platinum selling album, Plans, was no easy task but Narrow Stairs has already been praised by MTV.com as the band's most daring and adventurous effort to date.
Customer Reviews
Well, I dig it...
"Narrow Stairs" doesn't exactly sound like an album that would proceed DCFC's last album "Plans", but strangely it does, and after a few close listens you'll know why it does. The sound is experimental for sure, but at the same time it does not stray as far from the DCFC signature style of music heard in previous albums as some critics here would make it seem... I would however agree with those critics who say this album is alot darker and depressing than DCFC's other records, which may (understandably) turn some people off. But! if you like their sad dreamy sounding stuff, then "Narrow Stairs" will probably be your fix, and will definitely become one of your favorite DCFC albums... It's certainly become one of mine!
Underwhelming
Let me start out by saying that I am not a huge death cab fan. I do, however, like some of their earlier work including several songs on Plans. This CD definitely seems like a step back for the band with most songs sounding like filler and the hit track "I Will Possess Your Heart" diminished by a never-ending intro. Narrow Stairs all-in-all turned out to be a forgettable effort.
My favorite album this year...so far.
Awesome album. Better than Plans. "Long Division" needs to be a single. Best album I've heard this year so far. The end.
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