I had been planning to do this band from day one of "The Music Scene." I just never got around to it. I'm pretty sure that all of my starting paragraphs are beginning to blend into one another, because with every band or musician I do, I always say, "This band is amazing, talented, and full of drive." Then talk about some side of their music that is supposedly different, but it, too, begins to sound exactly the same. "Ripping guitar chords, and soft melodic voices make this band a sure to listen." "Not only are the lyrics powerful, but so is the steady drum beats, the bubbling bass lines, the humming guitars"
I was up late last night trying to figure out a way to explain this band without sounding clich??. The thing is, I still haven't found the answer. With each "The Music Scene" I do, I begin to like the band more and more. And with each one, I say. "Now this band is extraordinary." How do I make this band who rises above all others in a different way sound like they are worth listening to? That they are passionate, beautiful, and so poetic. How do I say this without sounding like I'm talking about . . . well, the other twelve bands I have done?
Welcome to the 13th "The Music Scene," everyone. I hope this one sparks a little light for you.
Does anyone remember one of the best albums of the year in 2005?
So, this band isn't one of the most popular on teenagers iPods, but in truth, they are probably more talented than 90 percent of the bands that you are listening to right now. That, yes, can be considered an opinion, but if you listen to one of their songs, there is like a snowball 10 feet from the sun that you will say they aren't talented. Sure, maybe you don't like indie music, or softer, slower songs, but I believe there is no way you can say this band sucks. That's because anyone who has a fiber of music sense in them can tell that with this band's art, they can play any kind of music they want, and sound good doing it. You just have to hear 30 seconds of Ben Gibbard's emotional, soft and well-rounded voice and know that Death Cab for Cutie is something special.
Did I draw the band's name out long enough for you? Even though Death Cab for Cutie sounds like some thrash band's name, it actually belongs to the thriving, broken through, toned indie rock quartet.
I'm gushing. And I probably will continue to gush throughout Death Cab's biography.
Death Cab for Cutie was formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. For those of you who are super-musically-intelligent, you'll know the band's name was formed from the song "Death Cab for Cutie" from the Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band on their debut album, Gorilla, released in 1967, and in The Beatles's Magical Mystery Tour.
Death Cab for Cutie began with just present vocalist Ben Gibbard while he was playing guitar for another band. In 1997, Ben Gibbard, the one person Death Cab for Cutie, released the debut album, You Can Play These Songs Without Chords. Although it relatively unpolished, the debut release was surprisingly successful. Emboldened, Ben brought in Chris Walla on electric guitar, Nicholas Harmer on bass, and Nathan Good to play drums. After a few practices, and the band was in rhythm, that line-up went on to record the summer 1988 release, Something About Airplanes. From small, independent music scenes, the album got fair reviews, so the follow-up album We Have The Facts and We're Voting Yes was released in 2000. Drummer Nathan Good left the band at that time, only playing drums on two of the albums tracks. Ben did played drums for all of the others. (He really is a well-rounded musician. Not only is his voice probably the best out there, he can play guitar and smack the skins fantastically.)
Ben couldn't play the drums and sing for long, though, and so by 2001, new drummer Michael Schorr was brought into the band. Instead of another full album being released, in 2001 The Forbidden Love EP came out in the fall of '01. The following year, another LP was released, The Photo Album. Limited additions of this album contained three hidden tracks, which later became The Stability EP.
Yet even through all of these albums flowing out, each laced with character, magic, and individuality, Death Cab for Cutie had still not broken through, but they weren't giving up yet. Far from it. Their big break was coming, the band could feel it.
In mid-2003, there was yet another line-up change with the drummer. Jason McGerr of Eureka Farm, replacing Schorr.
In 2003, Transatlanticsim was released, no doubt the piece of music the band had created yet. In fact, this album has two of my favorite songs on it, "The Sound of Settling," and "Title & Registration." Many tracks from Transatlanticsim have been used in movies and television shows, like "The O.C.," "Six Feet Under," "CSI: Miami," as well as Wedding Crashers, Mean Creek, and the most recent, Catch & Release.
It was a real breakthrough for these guys, some of the songs from the album placing mid to high on the charts. The album itself placed 97 on Billboard 200. It later achieved Gold Status in 2006.
After Transatlanticsim, the band released yet another EP, the John Byrd EP. The album includes tracks from many venues like The Wiltern in L.A.
After the EP, Death Cab For Cutie fulfilled their contract with Barsuk records, and moved on to Atlantic Records. At first the band was wary about the major-label, but they overcome it, and set out to work on their latest album. The band had been touring on and off between releases, but it was nothing compared to the extent of touring they were going to do after the highly acclaimed, 5 star Atlantic record came out.
Plans, it was titled. The most poetic and beautiful album yet, by far. It was an album of firsts. The first album on a major label, the first album that had kept the same drummer for two times in a row, and the first album that really brought in a huge fan base. The first and second singles from the album, "Soul Meets Body" and "Crooked Teeth," were an instant hit with the music scene. These two singles reached high on the charts. #5 on U.S. Modern Rock and #45 on Billboards for Soul Meets Body, and #10 on U.S. Modern Rock and #69 on UK Singles Chart for Crooked Teeth. Plans was nominated for a Grammy in Best Alternative Album, and received Gold Status in '06 for placing on Billboards for 47 consecutive weeks. Wow.
After the rush of Plans, like I said, there was huge amounts of touring. During that time, Death Cab For Cutie released a touring DVD called "Drive Well, Sleep Carefully." Known for their contributions to animal rights, the band is supporting the activist group PETA in giving away copies of the DVD to promote animal rights.
In 2006, one of the most exciting things Death Cab had ever done was put out. It was called Directions DVD, featured on it were all the songs from Plans, with a short clip to each of them, made by small directors all over.
This DVD is how I discovered Death Cab for Cutie. My father, the one that spent most of his time doing everything but listened to music, read about Death Cab for Cutie in the newspaper, and decided it would be a start on getting me away from the bright lit, hardcore punk scene. He bought the DVD, and brought it home for me. Although Death Cab isn't the music I usually listened to, I fell in love with the beautiful music, videos, and quirky special effects right away. After the DVD, I went out and bought whatever albums I could find from the band. These albums were actually the only ones I brought with me when I went to Maine for a month that summer. I was hooked, like most Death Cab fans were. Me? Because they were so different.
Basically, there are two kinds of bands in the world: A band who wants everyone to love them, and a band who loves everyone who wants them. Death Cab for Cutie is clearly the latter, and I applaud them for it.
Side projetcs of Death Cab? A few, in fact.
Ben Gibbard started a band called the Postal Service with Jimmy Tamborello, after he provided back-up vocals on some of Jimmy's band, Dntel's, tracks. The Postal Service released an album in 2003 called Give Up. The Postal Service enjoyed immense "underground" popularity and Death Cab for Cutie's mainstream rise is often credited, to some extent, to Gibbard's involvement with Tamborello. It has been said that they are working on a new The Postal Service album. Ben Gibbard has also released some pieces under the name All-Time QuarterBack. Ben Gibbard has also been involved in Ben Barnett's musical endeavor, "Kind of Like Spitting". Gibbard plays drums and sings harmonies on KOLS's album, "Bridges Worth Burning".
Chris Walla has also released some solo work of his own, under the name Martin Youth Auxiliary. He released a self-titled cassette on Elsinor Records, fewer than 100 copies in print. Walla also started his own studio in Seattle, named the Hall of Justice. He may also release an album around September 2007 off of Barsuk.
So, again I am faced with the dilemma of summing up the band? How to do it?
If you do anything worthwhile in this lifetime, one of them will be listening to a Death Cab for Cutie song. You will not regret it.
Poetic, artistic, new, and yet a throwback to good old soft music, Death Cab for Cutie has not dominated our music scene yet. But we shall see.
"I've got a hunger twisting my stomach into knots." -"Sound of Settling"
But seriously. It's way past lunch time for me.
Glitsygrl
