I can’t say that I’m a die hard Death Cab For Cutie fan, but I am a fan.
I’ve been listening to them for about six years now and was introduced to them via an online messageboard, my first taste being their (then) just released “Plans”. If you can wear down MP3s then I wore that album down to a pile of wee baby MP3s that were barely recognisable as anything but slivers of noise. That’s my personal favourite and I must be in the minority with that choice, most people plumping for 2003′s “Transatlanticism”, which IS an excellent album. My reasoning though is that my love for “Plans” is probably born from it being my first love of theirs, the same way that for most of the time a band’s most loved album is their first……with notable exceptions being Radiohead, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Smiths, and Kris Kross.
“Codes And Keys” (out on May 31st) is the band’s eighth album, the follow-up to 2008′s “Narrow Stairs”, an album that was huge for the band just not very well received but the critics and older fans. The album’s widespread reach undoubtedly gained them some new fans, ones who hadn’t heard excellence of “Plans” or “Transatlanticism”, or even the revered “Something About Airplanes”, an album that I just couldn’t get into. It’s literally been years since I listened to it so I think I might dig it out and give it a spin.
At the time of writing I haven’t listened to the entirety of “Codes And Keys” just yet, I’m about half way through, and so far it’s hit and miss. Missing the passion and heartfelt lyrics, and hitting the melodies and slight progression in sound for the band. One thing I can say is that it seems like this is their most mainstream album to date, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s also not exactly a good thing either. My views may change though as I spend more time with the whole thing, but for now, and of course thanks to NPR, you can judge for yourself below.
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