A blog and nothing but since 2003. Some tech, lots of music, and if rambling was money, drinks are on me.
Fine Tune Friday disappeared at the same speed
I’ve always been kind of fascinated with the those big moments in the career of bands when they’ve put out a few albums, getting more and more popular with each one, and then the conditions are exactly right for them to get huge. And then they come through with that big, classic single. Maybe it’s because it happened so much in the ’80’s. U2, REM and The Cure all came through with the right single at exactly the right time. I always wonder what was going through their heads during the writing and recording of “With Or Without You”, “Stand” and “Just Like Heaven”.
Death Cab for Cutie, “No Sunlight”
download | buy mp3s from Amazon
I don’t know whether it was intention or inspiration that caused Death Cab to create the misstep of Plans in 2005 at the moment when their popularity was threatening to explode with the cheering section that was The OC behind them. The album is good, I’m told. It never made an impression on me. But Death Cab had that “Just Like Heaven” moment in their hands and they released an understated record completely free of That Hit. Which is fine. They’re not obligated to make an effort to put out a big single. They’re artists and should be free to go with their inspiration. Plans puzzled me, but I respected it.
But what’s even more puzzling is that their new album Narrow Stairs is exactly the album that Plans should have been. It’s filled with hooks and songs like “No Sunlight” that are both inspired and immediately catchy. So it’s gotten harder to believe that Plans was a deliberate sabotage of the rocket to stardom, but…well, I’m not saying this all very well, but it’s a shame that Narrow Stairs wasn’t the record released in 2005. Maybe these songs will be the soundtrack to the summer of ‘08 and Death Cab will be the huge stars they should have been in ‘05.
And because this kind of thing is a constant irritant to me: it took them 3 years to release 11 songs. Never ceases to amaze me.
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May 16th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I bought this CD earlier this week. I actually loved Plans…it was what really got me into DCFC in the first place (I’ve since gone back and listened to some of their earlier stuff). Anyway, this was one of those cases where I’d gotten into a band via free (illegal) downloads and liked them so much I went out and bought their next album without listening to it first. A lot of the reviews mention that the new one takes a few listens before it’s appreciated…I think that’s a fair assessment. There’s no “Soul Meets Body” type of song that immediately stands out, but there also aren’t any songs that make me skip to the next track, either.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Why isn’t this posted in Music? Just sayin’…
May 16th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Because I was hungover this morning and I forgot. It’s changed now.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Yeah, I kinda thought “Soul Meets Body” was the single that should have been, but it just didn’t take off for whatever reason. I find “No Sunlight” to be one of the more boring tracks on this new record.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:03 am
“I Will Possess Your Heart” has huge potential, though. The best song about stalking since “Every Breath You Take”.
May 19th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Except that it’s more than 8 minutes long (”I Will Possess Your Heart”, that is). With all due respect to artistic integrity, unless you’re writing an opus or performing in a jam band, songs should be kept under 5 minutes.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I wasn’t a huge fan of “Plans” but was surprised that “Crooked Teeth” wasn’t a massive hit. That one could and should have been huge.
As for the new one, it sounds like they dropped the studio-experimentation/perfectionism of the last one and returned to the more tried and true plug in and press record methodology of their past albums. I think it’s a wise decision.
Also, there is some fantastic drumming on this new one.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Scott, I will counter your 5 minute theory with two words: Hey Jude.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Scott, I agree that the jam is unnecessary, but if you buy the mp3 album from Amazon there’s a radio edit included, and it’s nice and succinct. I think the most grabby part of the song is the repetition of “You gotta spend some time, love, you gotta spend some time with me,” of which there is plenty when the vocals finally kick in.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Good one, Xtian…I can’t argue with that. Although maybe the reason “Hey Jude” is the exception to the rule is because the first verse starts right away, and gets you hooked before the song starts to drag on at the end. This song takes a while to build up to the lyrics, and I find myself thinking “ok, get on with it already.”
I like that line too, Hans. Although the song that’s really growing on me right now (lyrics-wise) is “Your New Twin Sized Bed.”