SONG: Death Cab will possess your heart

As if I didn't have a million reasons to love Ben Gibbard and Death Cab for Cutie anyway - they go and release an 8+ minute song for the first single from their new record, Narrow Stairs (out May 13th on Atlantic). Yeah, I know - pretty awesome.

So the song opens with a four and a half minute long ambient noise/bass and drum jam thing before we ever even hear Ben's voice. It's all expertly rendered by Mr. Walla's superb production, and the transition into the second half of the song is pretty fantastic. The whole thing is like this drawn-out dramatic curtain pull before some long-awaited and highly anticipated... well, you know. Something amazing.

Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart

from the album Narrow Stairs (pre-order on Amazon)

ALBUM: I'll burn this whole city down

I just love this whole album and I find myself loving people who love this album.
The Decemberists have crafted one of the finest with The Crane Wife. Musical styling that vary from chilling folk to pounding rock to a synthesizer driven beat and to top it off, a sea chanty.
And that's only one song.

Much of the album is made up of short vignettes like the Romeo-and-Juliet-esque O Valencia or the frightening Shankill Butchers. (Which I only found out who they were while writing this post. Why do people hate each other so much?)

But where the Decemberists really shine is their ballads.
The title track is an old Japanese folk tale and a whopping 15:38 (a gorgeous 15:38.) which is complimented by The Island, an amazing and unsettling retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest (clocking in at 12:26.)

The Crane Wife is really one of those albums you need to fully experience. A casual listen in a buddy's car will never do this work justice.

The Decemberists - O Valencia
from the album The Crane Wife (Amazon/iTunes)

ALBUM: Are you getting enough sleep, Mr. Walla?

I don't know if it's just me, but Chris Walla looks pretty worn out in all the press photos I've seen. And frankly, he has every reason to be. In addition to producing several records for bands like the Decemberists, Tegan & Sara, and Nada Surf, he has been hard at work with his band Death Cab for Cutie on their album due out later this year (check it out here). And as if that weren't enough, he just happened to release his own album on Barsuk records this week- and that's what we're gonna talk about.

The album isn't ground-breaking- in fact, it's surprisingly ground-ed in the standards of pop and rock. And unlike most ultra-egotistic solo efforts, it's not even a huge departure from his work with Ben Gibbard & company. But the songs are catchy and the melodies infectious, and Chris' talent is apparent. He plays just about every instrument on the album, aside from the drums (played by Jason McGerr and Kurt Dahle- from Death Cab and the New Pornographers, respectively), and his airy vocals carry a quiet sincerity about them.

Those vocals are what kick off the album in Two-fifty, a harmony driven track with only sparse instrumental backup. The song plays like a thesis statement for the album- a little understated, but delivered clearly and deliberately. He hits his stride with Sing Again, a poppy but somber rocker with lyrics like 'a life packed full of mindless joy/ it is not easy to enjoy', before ending rather abruptly, leaving you wondering if you missed something. Some real highlights include the quietly beautiful A Bird is a Song, with its thoughtful lines and pretty harmonies, and the straightforward Everyone Needs a Home, a song about longing that is all too relatable. Political undertones can be felt throughout, from The Score to Everybody On to the pleading Archer V. Light (a personal favorite), and hints of Death Cab can be heard particularly on songs like Geometry &c., It's Unsustainable, and Holes. Every song is tightly written, and the production is seamless- the album is just plain good from start to finish.

So worn out or not, Mr. Walla- if you keep making music like this, I hope you stay busy.

Chris Walla - Sing Again