DreamTheaterForums.org Dream Theater Fan Site
General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on July 21, 2009, 10:47:10 PM
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Anyone else a fan of this wonderful band? I started getting into them late last year, and they have been one of my most-listened-to bands since.
Plans and Transatlanticism are two magnificent discs, the new EP is damn good, and I am just starting to get into The Photo Album.
Also, The Postal Service's cd, Give Up, is terrific, too. It is a side project Ben Gibbard (singer, guitarist and lyricist for Death Cab) did. It is basically the awesome melodies of Death Cab, but with electronic drum beats and such. It is rad as hell.
Speaking of Ben Gibbard, the guy has quickly become one of my favorite lyricists. He has a very unique way of writing that I totally dig. His lyrics are almost always noteworthy.
Anyway, great band! :) :) :)
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I love Death Cab. Saw them live for the first time back in April, they were fantastic. Transatlanticism is a brilliant album - have you given Narrow Stairs a listen yet?
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I intentionally didn't say anything about Narrow Stairs, simply because it is easily the least best thing I have heard by them thus far. It is pretty good, and has its moments, but overall is pretty uneven.
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I only have Narrow Stairs and Plans, but I adore NS. I haven't had a chance to really dig into Plans yet, but there are a few tracks on it that stick out. I need to check out Transatlanticism ASAP.
And yes, The Postal Service kicks ass.
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I intentionally didn't say anything about Narrow Stairs, simply because it is easily the least best thing I have heard by them thus far. It is pretty good, and has its moments, but overall is pretty uneven.
This band is pretty good, but I didn't really like Narrow Stairs much at all.
-J
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I received a few albums of theirs from a friend, what should I start with?
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I intentionally didn't say anything about Narrow Stairs, simply because it is easily the least best thing I have heard by them thus far. It is pretty good, and has its moments, but overall is pretty uneven.
Understandable. I loved it when I first heard it, but it hasn't aged nearly as well as their other stuff. Grapevine Fires is still one of their best songs though.
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I received a few albums of theirs from a friend, what should I start with?
Cannot go wrong with Plans or Transatlanticism.
Grapevine Fires is still one of their best songs though.
Eh, it's good, but not that good. IMO, of course. :biggrin:
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I received a few albums of theirs from a friend, what should I start with?
Cannot go wrong with Plans or Transatlanticism.
This.
Grapevine Fires is still one of their best songs though.
Eh, it's good, but not that good. IMO, of course. :biggrin:
No, it's objectively their best song.
:neverusethis:
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Grapevine Fires is SOOOO good.
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The Photo Album = awesome. It is making a serious push for best Death Cab cd, at least to me.
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As much as I loved Plans at first, and still do, I now think that both The Photo Album and Transatlanticism are better. And I am slowly getting into We Have the Facts...
This band still rules. :coolio
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dc is amazing
transatlanticism to me is better than most dt albums
plans is great
narrow stairs is glorious
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You like Narrow Stairs that much, eh? I don't shit all over it, like a lot of their fan base seemingly likes to, but it was definitely a massive dropoff from almost everything else they've done, IMO. There isn't a single song on there that I would say is great or one of their best, although I do think "Pity and Fear" is better than most think. I thought the Open Door EP was a nice little rebound; I could listen to "My Mirror Speaks" all day. :coolio
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I've been known to spin Transatlanticism from time to time, but I really can't stand Gibbard. His delivery, tone, emotional range, etc... is EXACTLY the same in every song. He's annoying. I can't go anywhere near The Postal Service, either.
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I still haven't listened to Open Door yet. They played one of the songs off of it when I saw them last year, but I don't really remember it.
As for Narrow Stairs, it isn't as awesome as it was when I first heard it, but it's still a really good album. Talking Bird, Cath, No Sunlight, and Twin Sized Bed are all great, and Grapevine Fires is one of their best songs.
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I've been known to spin Transatlanticism from time to time, but I really can't stand Gibbard. His delivery, tone, emotional range, etc... is EXACTLY the same in every song.
I don't agree with that at all, but even if it were true, so what? Not every band is trying to reinvent the wheel with every album. Death Cab writes catchy, pop/indie rock, and they do a damn fine job of it. Sometimes, good songs are all you need, and they have an abundance of them. :tup :tup
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It's not about reinventing the wheel. It's Gibbard singing every song in his creepy, way to sentimental to be believable voice.
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Death Cab has been on my list to check out for some time. Once I get through the PT discography that I'm listening to I'll check them out.
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I've been known to spin Transatlanticism from time to time, but I really can't stand Gibbard. His delivery, tone, emotional range, etc... is EXACTLY the same in every song. He's annoying. I can't go anywhere near The Postal Service, either.
That's kinda how I feel about Gavin Hayes in dredg to an extent.
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'I Will Possess Your Heart' is the most awesomely creepy song in history btw
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I've been known to spin Transatlanticism from time to time, but I really can't stand Gibbard. His delivery, tone, emotional range, etc... is EXACTLY the same in every song. He's annoying. I can't go anywhere near The Postal Service, either.
That's kinda how I feel about Gavin Hayes in dredg to an extent.
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'I Will Possess Your Heart' is the most awesomely creepy song in history btw
I can see the comparison. The difference for me is I don't know what Gavin is getting at most of the time, so I can't really say much about whether the way he's singing is appropriate or not.
With Gibbard, it's a lot of the same sentimental stuff over and over again.
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I completely disagree, in regards to Gibbard, but to each his own. :biggrin:
Death Cab has been on my list to check out for some time. Once I get through the PT discography that I'm listening to I'll check them out.
Cool. Let us know when you do. :)
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I've only heard I Will Follow You Into The Dark and I Will Possess Your Heart, but both are great songs, so I've been considering buying one of their albums.
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I'd recommend Transatlanticism.
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I'd recommend Transatlanticism.
a thousand times this
possibly best album of the decade
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'I Will Possess Your Heart' is the most awesomely creepy song in history btw
No, that would be Radiohead's "How to Disappear Completely."
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I knew it would happen eventually and it finally did:
"We Looked Like Giants" is now absolutely destroying me. :coolio
I love it when a song you have been listening to for a while goes from, "This is pretty good," to "Holy shit, this is too awesome for words!" :tup :tup
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I hate Ben Gibbard. He's married to Zooey Deschanel. >:(
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What an amazing couple.
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New album coming up later this spring.
This band needs more love from this forum.
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Kev, I have Plans & Narrow Stairs. I love both CD's. What should I try next?
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Transatlanticism. And then The Photo Album.
Keep us updated! :)
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I enjoy them! very good songs
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Still like this band, but I can't listen to them all the time. I get too depressed :lol
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'I Will Possess Your Heart' is the most awesomely creepy song in history btw
No, that would be Radiohead's "How to Disappear Completely."
HTDC isn't really creepy to me, affecting yes but not creepy
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Tour dates:
https://www.deathcabforcutie.com/tour
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North American summer dates just announced:
07/27/11 - COLUMBUS, OH @ LC OUTDOOR AMPITHEATER
07/28/11 - DETROIT, MI @ FOX THEATRE
07/29/11 - TORONTO, ON @ MOLSON CANADIAN AMPITHEATRE
08/01/11 - BOSTON, MA @ BANK OF AMERICA PAVILION
08/02/11 - BROOKLYN, NY @ WILLIAMSBURG WATERFRONT
08/05/11 - PHILADELPHIA, PA @ MANN CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS
08/06/11 - PITTSBURGH, PA @ STAGE AE
08/07/11 - COLUMBIA, MD @ MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION
08/08/11 - CARY, NC @ KOKA BOOTH AMPITHEATRE
08/10/11 - NASHVILLE, TN @ BRIDGESTONE ARENA
08/11/11 - ALPHARETTA, GA @ VERIZON WIRELESS AMPITHEATRE
08/12/11 - NEW ORLEANS, LA @ KIEFER UNO LAKEFRONT ARENA
08/13/11 - GRAND PRAIRIE, TX @ VERIZON THEATRE
08/15/11 - PHOENIX, AZ @ COMERICA THEATRE
08/16/11 - SAN DIEGO, CA @ RIMAC
08/18/11 - LOS ANGELES, CA @ GREEK THEATRE
08/19/11 - LOS ANGELES, CA @ GREEK THEATRE
08/20/11 - LAS VEGAS, NV @ THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS
08//22/11 - WEST VALLEY CITY, UT @ MAVERIK CENTER
08/23/11 - MORRISON, CO @ RED ROCKS AMPITHEATRE
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Here's hoping for an eventual St. Louis date. Can't wait to hear the new album, which is out next month! :coolio
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First single and video from the album, which comes out this week!
https://www.youtube.com/user/DCFCtv
Great tune!
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I'm looking forward to this disk.
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Great song, I'm checking this album out now on Spotify.
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I figure I'll wait to get the physical CD this week. I am so overloaded with new music as it is right now, holding off for a few more days, while still digging this other new stuff, is probably my best bet! :lol
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THE NEW ALBUM IS SO GOOD
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I gave it a full listen today and I liked the hell out of it. It can only get better.
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I gave it a full listen today and I liked the hell out of it. It can only get better.
For real. I was blown away!
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Yep, I am digging it like crazy, too. "Home Is a Fire" is one bitchin' of an opener. :coolio
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Anyone else get into this, or who else is still loving this? I can't get enough of it. :)
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big fan.. great tunes
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Should I start with their most recent stuff or start from the beginning?
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Should I start with their most recent stuff or start from the beginning?
Probably with the earlier stuff, but this new album is pretty damn good, too.
Just don't start with Narrow Stairs. That album is pretty good, but definitely their least best.
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Regular spin in my rotation. Love it.
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Yea, it's a fantastic album. Lots of people aren't liking it, but I can't seem to get enough of it.
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Should I start with their most recent stuff or start from the beginning?
Probably with the earlier stuff, but this new album is pretty damn good, too.
Just don't start with Narrow Stairs. That album is pretty good, but definitely their least best.
Thanks! My friends play their songs very often but I don't own any of their material. I'm more familiar with similar (if you can say so) bands like Scouting For Girls. Very catchy songs. They only have two albums but both are really good. Try them out.
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Regular spin in my rotation. Love it.
:tup :tup
Yea, it's a fantastic album. Lots of people aren't liking it, but I can't seem to get enough of it.
That's because the average indie fan, from what I can tell, gets all pissy when their favorite indie band gets popular and goes mainstream at all, so they hate on the new stuff, while screaming, "The old stuff is better!!!" Same thing has happened with Modest Mouse (although the big difference there for me is that Death Cab's old stuff is great and MM's old stuff blows). Hell, a lot of hardcore indie fans don't even like Plans that much, which is just crazy. :facepalm:
My friends play their songs very often but I don't own any of their material. I'm more familiar with similar (if you can say so) bands like Scouting For Girls. Very catchy songs. They only have two albums but both are really good. Try them out.
You should get on owning some Death Cab, ASAP. :)
I checked out This Ain't a Love Song by Scouting For Girls. Not bad. Didn't find them similar to Death Cab that much. Not that it matters, but just saying. ;)
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Death Cab for Cutie announced today the dates for their Fall North American tour.
Pre-sale tickets and bundles are available for members of the DCFC Union Local #1138 starting Wednesday, August 3rd at 12pm local venue time.
General on-sale for a majority of the shows begins between August 5th-August 7th. Make sure to check the tour page of www.deathcabforcutie.com for specific ticketing information.
Here are the newly announced shows:
09/30/11 – CINCINNATI, OH @ PNC PAVILION AT RIVERBEND MUSIC*
10/01/11 – CHAMPAIGN, IL @ UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - ASSEMBLY*
10/02/11 – ST. LOUIS, MO @ THE PAGEANT*
10/05/11 – MEMPHIS, TN @ MUD ISLAND AMPHITHEATRE*
10/06/11 – BIRMINGHAM, AL @ ALABAMA THEATRE*
10/07/11 – JACKSONVILLE, FL @ FLORIDA THEATRE*
10/10/11 – HOUSTON, TX @ VERIZON WIRELESS THEATRE*
10/11/11 – AUSTIN, TX @ AUSTIN MUSIC HALL
10/15/11 – SANTA BARBARA, CA @ SANTA BARBARA BOWL^
10/18/11 – BOISE, ID @ TACO BELL ARENA #
10/20/11 – PORTLAND, OR @ PORTLAND MEMORIAL COLISEUM #
10/21/11 – VANCOUVER, BC @ ROGERS ARENA #
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:tup :tup for that St. Louis date. :) :) :)
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Death Cab tomorrow night. Can't wait. :) :coolio
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Time for my 4th straight post in this thread. :lol
Concert was great tonight! Damn good set list, and the band seemed to be on fire.
Gibbard is an absolute beast on You Are a Tourist; we had seats in the balcony on the left side, which meant we could easily see all of their footwork with pedals and whatnot, and everything he does with his feet in that song was just amazing. I think the pedals on the left were for his guitar, and the "This...fire...grows...high" line, which he sings as the lead at the beginning but is then more of a background the rest of the song, he triggers the replay of his original singing of it every time throughout the song with the pedals on the right. Pretty cool.
I'll look up the set list tomorrow online for those interested, but aside from what you would expect, they played A Movie Script Evening (one of my favorites), both Company Calls and Company Calls Epilogue, We Looked Like Giants and What Sarah Said. All in all, a great show tonight, and we had a great time. :hat
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Did all of the Death Can fans disappear? ??? :(
Anyway..
Setlist
I Will Possess Your Heart
Crooked Teeth
We Laugh Indoors
Photobooth
Doors Unlocked and Open
Long Division
Grapevine Fires
Codes and Keys
What Sarah Said
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
Your Heart is an Empty Room
You Are a Tourist
The New Year
Company Calls
Company Calls Epilogue
Soul Meets Body
A Movie Script Ending
Cath
We Looked Like Giants
The Sound of Settling
Encore
Title and Registration
Stay Young Go Dancing
Blacking Out the Friction
St. Peter's Cathedral
Transatlanticism
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I'm still here though I've never seen them live. I need to remedy that.
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New video for Underneath the Sycamore:
https://pitchfork.com/tv/musicvideos/1728-underneath-the-sycamore/
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Still here. Codes & Keys made my top 10 list for the year! That's a great set, by the way.
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I have yet to listeen to the new album actually, should really get on that.
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That's a great set, by the way.
Yes it was! :hat
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New album coming in late March. Can't wait. :coolio :hat
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I guess there aren't too many other Death Cab fans, around here, huh Kev?
I've only ever really listened to Transatlanticism, and a few other select tracks, but I really enjoyed it. So very peaceful. I'll check out the new album in March as well, if I can remember.
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Sadly, no.
This band just has the right amount of catchiness and depth to hit me right in that musical sweet spot. Plus, Ben Gibbard is a fantastic lyricist, making Death Cab a rare band where the lyrics are one of the main reasons I listen to them.
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I'm here, and completely agree with what Kev said about the band. I love Transatlanticism and Plans, and recently got The Photo Album, Narrow Stairs and Codes and Keys. I'm very much enjoying, and am quite excited for the new album as well.
Have you seen what they're doing (https://blacksun.deathcabforcutie.com) in promotion of the upcoming single? Ben Gibbard handwrote the lyrics on canvas, cut it into pieces, and mailed them to a bunch of different fans. I think that's an awesome way to treat the fans and promote the single.
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Definitely pretty cool. :coolio
You ought to grab We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes as well; very strong album from their early days.
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I guess I missed responding to this; I will definitely get We Have the Facts, probably not right away since I'm already listening into three Death Cab albums that are new to me, but soon.
I'm enjoying all three of them; I like how genuine Narrow Stairs is and I think they pulled off the stylistic shift on Codes and Keys well. The Photo Album is currently my least favorite, but I get the sense that it's a grower. I already love the song We Laugh Indoors, though.
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I adore The Photo Album. Something about that record is just so engaging; I can turn that record on and just like that it's over. It's an effortless, easy listen.
Narrow Stairs has its moments, but is definitely kind of a blip for them. Codes and Keys was a really good bounce back from that, and hopefully this new one will continue that upward trajectory.
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The way you say you feel about The Photo Album is similar to the way I feel about Plans, so hopefully it will also attain that status for me.
Right now I'm liking both Narrow Stairs and Codes and Keys about equally. The latter does seem to be a more polished album (and will probably be my favorite of the two in the long run), but a lot of the songs on Narrow Stairs appeal to me as well (namely I Will Possess Your Heart, No Sunlight, Cath..., Grapevine Fires and Long Division). Time will tell, I suppose.
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Well, in anticipation for the new album, I finally decided to complete the rest of my collection and bought SAA and WHTFAWVY, so now I have all the other studio albums. Might do a little chronological marathon now that I can.
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First single, "Black Sun," came out a few days ago: https://youtu.be/46bIJJX_xzE (https://youtu.be/46bIJJX_xzE).
Interesting song. Doesn't seem as anthemic as their lead singles in the past (You Are a Tourist, I Will Possess Your Heart, Soul Meets Body). It seems like a bit of a return to the melancholic Gibbard while continuing with the electronic influence of Codes and Keys, which is pretty much what I had already expected of this album.
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Sounds pretty good.
My brother and I got tickets yesterday to see then in May. They will be here the day before Rush, so I will be seeing Death Cab and Rush back-to-back. :coolio
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I quite like it. Really moody and head-boppy. I don't know if that's a term. I don't care.
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Just got around to listening to the new album.
It's not particularly unexpected, but I'm fine with that. Very pleasant stuff, methinks. I'll need several more listens
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Finally got the new album. After two listens, sounds good. Time will tell how good. :biggrin:
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I have the new album, but I have shamefully not listened to it yet, because I am obsessing over Nightwish (whose new album came out the same day). I need to get around to it... I knew that whichever album I didn't choose to listen to on the 31st would go a little while untouched, unfortunately. Soon, though. :soon:
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I've been getting into these guys since February. Their stuff is enjoyable, but not a single album really floored me. If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would easily be The Photo album, with their debut actually being behind it. I also enjoy Codes and keys quite a bit.
I'll be spinning the new album this week, looking forward to it very much.
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Well, their music really isn't of the "it floored me" variety; it's just consistently really good, catchy stuff. :coolio
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Yeah, but you know when the stuff is so catchy it floors you? :lol
Liking the new album so far. The Ghost of Beverly Drive, Good help (is so hard to find) and Little wanderer are pretty sweet. I also think it's very cohesive stylistically, there's not as much diversity as on the previous three albums. Not that it's a bad thing, though, it's makes it kinda conceptual.
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Yeah, but you know when the stuff is so catchy it floors you? :lol
Haha, true. And now that I think about it, I was pretty floored by You Are a Tourist the first time I heard it.
Liking the new album so far. The Ghost of Beverly Drive, Good help (is so hard to find) and Little wanderer are pretty sweet. I also think it's very cohesive stylistically, there's not as much diversity as on the previous three albums. Not that it's a bad thing, though, it's makes it kinda conceptual.
I can see that. I am really liking it so far. I am basically leaving it on in my car, so when I go anywhere this week, I am listening to it. :hat
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Just listened for the first time. From just one listen, I thought it was really quite good! Good Help (Is Hard to Find) definitely stood out to me, as did The Ghosts of Beverly Drive and Everything's a Ceiling. The album is nothing groundbreaking, of course, but I don't really expect groundbreaking from Death Cab, I expect consistent and quality pop-rock music, which is what this album is.
One particular thing I noticed is that I think Ben's singing is continuing to improve. He hasn't lost the noticeable quality that his voice has, but I think on this album especially he's gotten better at matching his voice to the mood of the song. Not that he was ever bad at it, just that he's gotten better at it on this album.
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Yep, this is sounding like another major winner from these guys. I've had it on non-stop and am loving all of it. And I am seeing them in 26 days (one day before I see Rush)! :tup :tup
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That's a good couple of days! You've seen them before, right? How would you grade them, live?
I'm considering getting tickets to see them this September. Really enjoying this album so far.
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They were really good the one time I saw them. They don't do anything crazy with the stage or light shows, but they just do a great job of performing their tunes. My review of the show we saw in 2011 is still in this thread. :coolio
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Death Cab was great last night, as expected. Ben Gibbard had a tough of energy for a guy who was so sick last week that they had to cancel two shows. They played a lot of the new albums - seven songs - although Everything's a Ceiling was not one of them. They played five songs from Plans, three from Transatlanticism, Codes and Keys and Narrow Stairs, and even one from the first album. Fun show! :coolio
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Five songs from Plans? That's spectacular; it's my favorite DCFC album. Overall, sounds pretty awesome!
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I Will Follow You Into the Dark (which was so great; the entire crowd sang along)
What Sarah Said
Crooked Teeth
Soul Meets Body
Marching Bands of Manhattan
Those were the Plans tunes.
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Those are about the ones I would expect, but good choices for sure. Marching Bands and What Sarah Said are both amazing songs. And I'm sure I Will Follow You Into the Dark was great with the crowd involvement!
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Oh, it was! It's kind of a bummer that they never played Brothers in a Hotel Bed, but oh well. I am very high on Different Names for the Same Thing, but again, I would never expect them to play that.
Nothing from The Photo Album this time. Why You'd Want to Live Here has been getting played so far this year, but I guess last night was it's night off.
We also got No Sunlight instead of Grapevine Fires as the 3rd song from Narrow Stairs (along with ...Cath and I Will Possess...), which surprised me.
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My favorite song on Plans is actually Your Heart Is an Empty Room, though Brothers On a Hotel Bed is also right up there. Seems strange to me that they'd skip The Photo Album entirely, though, for that show. I always got the impression that it was the third most popular one behind Transatlanticism and Plans.
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I can't even tell anymore. I know that Plans and Transatlanticism are the two most popular, but I have no idea how the rest rank. I know the early indie fans probably prefer the earlier albums, while the fans that came later, because of their catchy hits, probably prefer the last few over those early ones. Me, I love their newer, catchy stuff, but it is hard to beat The Photo Album, Plans and Transatlanticism.
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I just took a look at the set list, it's really cool. President of what is such a surprise, that's one hell of a song. As far as the new songs go, it's weird they didn't play Good help, I can easily picture the crowd getting into that one.
And Crooked teeth - such a fantastic track, I'd love to see that one live.
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Here is the set list:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/death-cab-for-cutie/2015/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-33c86895.html
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Bumped for SebastianPratesi. :coolio
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Bumped for SebastianPratesi. :coolio
Thanks! Will read it. Should be interesting and informative.
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Death Cab will be on Late Night With Colbert tonight. Set your DVRs!!
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Great new song by Death Cab, which is obviously about Trump:
https://youtu.be/XE0nOfTA3pY
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Not a bad song. I would have liked it better though if it wasn't so on the nose.
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Anyone else digging Thank You for Today, their newest album that came out back in August?
I gave it a few cursory listens at first and liked it, but put it away. I've come back to it recently and am really like it now. This band is so consistent. :coolio
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I thought it was very solid. It's a pleasant listen all the way through, there isn't a single song that I skip. As much as I liked Kintsugi, I think this one might be better than their last few albums. Northern light, Summer years, 60 & Punk and Autumn love are my favorite tunes.
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Those are some of my favorites as well, especially Northern Lights and 60 & Punk.
Death Cab is one of those bands where it gets increasingly difficult to pick favorites. I like the last three albums all a lot, but I have no idea which of them I prefer. I did see where Ben Gibbard said a while back that he isn't fond of Codes and Keys anymore, but artists always have their own reasons for how much they like or dislike their own work. I can listen to almost all of their albums from start to finish and rarely hit skip, except for Narrow Stairs, which is pretty inconsistent.
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Nothing will top the trinity of Facts, Photo, and Trans for me. They captured such a vibe on those records that hasn't quite been there since. I really liked Kintsugi quite a bit. It's easily my favorite since Transatlanticism. The new one is good, but it didn't have much staying power after the first few weeks. I felt like I heard it all before and while nothing is remotely bad, it's the first time it sounded like a band just going through the motions. Your Hurricane and Northern Lights are my favorites.
Narrow Stairs has a few throwaway tracks like Talking Bird, You Can Do Better, and Pity And Fear, and I wasn't a fan of the singles either (Possess and Grapevine Fires which is their most overrated song by far IMO) so I rank that one at the bottom. I think I'm the only one who loves Your New Twin Sized Bed and Bixby Canyon Bridge is an incredible song too. I liked Codes And Keys quite a bit, so it sucks that Ben is not a fan. They have a strong discography overall, but I think they've taken this mellow/semi-electronic style they've been doing for the past few albums to its furthest point and they need to reinvent themselves a bit on the next one.
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While I enjoy the new album a lot, I kind of know what you mean. It is stylistically similar to the several albums prior, and I agree that it would be cool to see them change things up a bit on the next one, but I won't be displeased if they do not since they do this style pretty darn well.
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New album coming in September, with a US tour this fall as well. And they are coming to STL! I am so there for that. Love this band. :coolio :coolio
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Damn :'( I'm so bummed to be missing this—the east coast dates line up exactly with the only vacation I have planned for the year. Looking forward to the new album, though. I didn't love the last one, but they've sort of quietly become one of my favorite bands. I'd hold Transaltanticism, Plans, and Kintsugi up there with almost anything.
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Thank You for Today wasn't one of my favorites, but I still like it, and Gold Rush has held up as one of my favorite songs by the band. Ben Gibbard is on my Mount Rushmore of lyricists, and that song is a good example as to why.
For me, it is hard to beat that run of The Photo Album, Transatlanticism and Plans.
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I still go back to Thank you for today every now and then, it's such a nice and consistent album. Having liked Kentsugi as well, I'm looking forward to the new one.
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Oh yeah, both of those albums are good. That is the great thing about this band, is that they are seemingly incapable of a bad record. Every album is always, at the very least, good.
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After a couple of listens, I'm confident this one is going to do more for me than the last album. Quite enjoying the title track, Rand McNally, and I Miss Strangers, but that's just first impressions. I imagine once I have more time to look over the lyrics the other tracks will grow on me a lot.
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Yep, yep, release day! I'll be grabbing this and giving it many listens. And my younger brother, cousin and I have tickets to see them next month. :coolio :coolio
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The new album is good. The song Roman Candles is a complete dud, but everything else is good, and songs like Rand McNally, Foxglove Through the Clearcut, I Miss Strangers and Here to Forever are all pretty great.
Saw the band Thursday here in STL. Really good show. Ben Gibbard was pretty wound up all night and did a good job at getting the crowd going about halfway through, as everyone on the first floor (we had good seats in the balcony) was pretty stoic early on, but after he kindly complimented us for being such a polite crowd (hint hint, feel free to show a pulse!!), the people on the floor showed a bit more enthusiasm.
Set list:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/death-cab-for-cutie/2022/the-factory-chesterfield-mo-43b1130b.html
I was a bit bummed that Gold Rush, one of my favorites by the band, isn't getting played, as Northern Lights is the only song from the previous album getting played (and that song rules as well), but we got six songs combined from Plans and Transatlanticism, their two best albums, so I was pretty happy. I think this is the first tour where the song Transatlanticism isn't getting played.
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I am also digging the album quite a bit, especially the first half. After Pepper, it kind of meanders, but the opening track, Here to forever and the title track are pretty great. I also like Roman candles, actually. :tup
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I am also digging the album quite a bit, especially the first half. After Pepper, it kind of meanders, but the opening track, Here to forever and the title track are pretty great. I also like Roman candles, actually. :tup
To each their own. :tup :tup
I figured Roman Candles would grow on me and be more to my liking after seeing it live, but it has completely gone the other way. :lol :lol
Maybe it's the track number, as Black Sun which is track 2 from Kintsugi is still the only dud for me on that record, yet they still play that at every show. That is mystifying as heck to me.
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I quite like Black Sun, but I'm with you on Roman Candles—not a terrible track I don't think, but definitely my least favorite on the album.
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Because I never know when something might suddenly grab me, I did throw Black Sun back on to my phone today (I previously had every song from Kintsugi on there but that one), so I will give it a couple fresh spins to see if it is a little better for me now. :)
Also, there are few better live moments than the first chorus of Soul Meets Body, the one he scats on the album, since he never sings it live, simply because we the fans always all sing it. Always a fun moment.
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New album is good but the second half is WAY better than the first half imo. Foxglove might be the best song they’ve made in many many years and I Miss Strangers and Wheat Like Waves are also outstanding. I’ll Never Give Up On You is a great closer too. I like this more than TYFT but there’s still an undercurrent of mediocrity here that I feel started around Narrow Stairs that doesn’t let any of their new albums really blow me away anymore. Kintsugi came closest but they ignore that album for some reason besides Sun/Ghosts.
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New album is good but the second half is WAY better than the first half imo. Foxglove might be the best song they’ve made in many many years and I Miss Strangers and Wheat Like Waves are also outstanding. I’ll Never Give Up On You is a great closer too. I like this more than TYFT but there’s still an undercurrent of mediocrity here that I feel started around Narrow Stairs that doesn’t let any of their new albums really blow me away anymore. Kintsugi came closest but they ignore that album for some reason besides Sun/Ghosts.
As much as I love this band, I don't really go in expecting to be blown away by any of their albums. I view them as a band whose albums are consistently good to really good. Even the ones I consider the best - like Plans, The Photo Album or Transatlanticism - are ones I consider very good (or great, if you ask me on the right days).
I do agree that this is an upgrade from Thank You for Today, which had two major keepers in Gold Rush and Northern Lights (two of my favorites by the band in general) and then a bunch of songs that ranged from solid to good. The new album has more above average songs, for my money.
I was a big fan of both Codes and Keys and Kintsugi, and the band doesn't seem to give much love to either album anymore, but they always hit the newest album hard live, so by the time they hit what they seem to consider the big albums hard as well (TA-cism, Plans, Narrow Stairs), it doesn't always leave a lot of room in the set list for songs from the other albums.
I will say as well that I am still baffled as to why Gibbard considers Narrow Stairs one of their top albums (he did a ranking of their album a few years ago and I believe it was top 3). That album is inconsistent, and its highs do not reach the highs of most of their other records, IMO.
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Ok the second half of Asphalt Meadows has officially become one of my favorite album sides of theirs. Fragments From the Decade has really grown on me and the only moment that kinda bugs me is the synth motif that runs through Pepper. Didn't expect that to happen with a Death Cab album anymore. Not a huge fan of the first half of the album unfortunately, though Here To Forever and I Don't Know How I Survive are good. I've also revisited TYFT a few times after this thread and it's a lot better than I remember.
I also listened to Narrow Stairs again and yeah, it's such a mixed bag. Bixby always blows me away, Cath... has a really great guitar hook, Twin Sized Bed is pretty overlooked with a really beautiful bridge, and Long Division is catchy as hell. I Will Possess Your Heart and Grapevine Fires just never do it for me and the band just will not stop playing the former.
Codes & Keys is pretty weak for me. Doors Unlocked and Open and You Are A Tourist are incredible (and the only ones they ever play live) and I have a soft spot for Monday Morning and Stay Young Go Dancing but I outright dislike Home Is A Fire, the title track, and Unobstructed Views.
Nothing will top Facts or Transatlanticism for me, but I'm glad their newer albums are still delivering great moments.
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I like I Will Possess Your Heart, but I swear, seeing it played live again last week really made it clear how many times he repeats the "You gotta spend some time" line in the second half of the song. Take a shot every time he sings those words and you'll be blackout drunk before the song ends. To me, the first half of the song, the instrumental bits, is great, but the latter half is just okay.
I thought Bixby was a bizarre choice for the last encore when I looked and saw that it was ending most shows on the tour prior to ours, but it worked really well, so I stood corrected. I even turned to my brother and cousin after it was over and said, "Okay, I was wrong, that worked really nice as the closer!" I love being wrong sometimes. :lol :lol
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Narrow Stairs is second only to Transatlanticism for me. Didn't really get much from Codes and Keys or Kintsugi so didn't even bother with Thank You as it seemed to be getting similar negative reviews as those album. Might give Asphalt a listen though as the reviews are much more positive. The most inconsistent album for me is Plans - has some of their best work along side several completely forgettable songs.
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I really like I Will Possess Your Heart but with an intro that long, it always felt weird as a second track to me. Always felt more like it should have been either the first, the last, or the middle (track... 6? I guess).
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Narrow Stairs is second only to Transatlanticism for me. Didn't really get much from Codes and Keys or Kintsugi so didn't even bother with Thank You as it seemed to be getting similar negative reviews as those album. Might give Asphalt a listen though as the reviews are much more positive. The most inconsistent album for me is Plans - has some of their best work along side several completely forgettable songs.
Damn. Despite the presence of Summer Skin, which I do find to be pretty ordinary, I find Plans to be their best album. If I had to do a Death Dab top 20, probably 6 of them alone would be from that record. I doubt any other album would have more than 3.
I really like I Will Possess Your Heart but with an intro that long, it always felt weird as a second track to me. Always felt more like it should have been either the first, the last, or the middle (track... 6? I guess).
Agreed. Definitely a weird spot in the running order. That whole album just feels off, even when the songs are good. The middle of the album is a complete wasteland (tracks 5-8 all should have been thrown in the trash where they belong).
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Narrow Stairs is second only to Transatlanticism for me. Didn't really get much from Codes and Keys or Kintsugi so didn't even bother with Thank You as it seemed to be getting similar negative reviews as those album. Might give Asphalt a listen though as the reviews are much more positive. The most inconsistent album for me is Plans - has some of their best work along side several completely forgettable songs.
Damn. Despite the presence of Summer Skin, which I do find to be pretty ordinary, I find Plans to be their best album. If I had to do a Death Dab top 20, probably 6 of them alone would be from that record. I doubt any other album would have more than 3.
I really like I Will Possess Your Heart but with an intro that long, it always felt weird as a second track to me. Always felt more like it should have been either the first, the last, or the middle (track... 6? I guess).
Agreed. Definitely a weird spot in the running order. That whole album just feels off, even when the songs are good. The middle of the album is a complete wasteland (tracks 5-8 all should have been thrown in the trash where they belong).
Grapevine Fires is a top ten song for me, and Twin Sized Bed wouldn't be far away either ;D
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What about You can do better than me? That's such a cute The Beach Boys influenced track. :tup
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Agreed. Definitely a weird spot in the running order. That whole album just feels off, even when the songs are good. The middle of the album is a complete wasteland (tracks 5-8 all should have been thrown in the trash where they belong).
Songs 9, 10, & 11 are all bangers and a strong finish to that album. I love Long Division.