Death Cab is back and life is good.I've been listening to Narrow Stairs non-stop for about two days now. While I don't think it is as good as Plans, it doesn't disappoint. As always, Ben Gibbard's poetry and brilliant understanding of human doubts, hopes, fears, and regrets carries the album.
While I felt Plans was about death and the fear of dying, Narrow Stairs seems more about relationships and the fear of being alone. The best lines in the album are in "Your New Twin Sized Bed," in which Gibbard writes, "You look so defeated lying there in your new twin sized bed/ With a single pillow underneath your single head/ I guess you decided that that old queen was more space than you would need/ And now it's in the alley behind your apartment with a sign that says, 'Free.'" Ughhhh.
Narrow Stairs lacks a catchy tune like "Soul Meets Body" or "Crooked Teeth," but there is definitely some good stuff on it comparable to "I Will Follow You into the Dark," "Title and Registration," and "The Sound of Settling." Thoughts on Death Cab or the album?
3 comments:
Great review, Matt. I will have to check out that album. A pop culture question:
While perusing your older blogs, I noticed your blog on No Country For Old Men. Unfortunately for us, Danielle and I watched that last night. Ugh. Absolutely horrible.
Do you honestly think there are philosophical undertones to that movie? While I appreciated your review, I kinda think it was just a movie full of crap with no point. People love that these days. The character development was poor which made it tough to appreciate the struggling plot. Maybe I was just tired when I watched it, but I think it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Is it similar to the other movies by these guys?
I guess I was trying to give the Coen brothers the benefit of the doubt. There is a very real possibility that the movie is about nothing.
In fact, after I wrote that I second-guessed whether movies these days are ever "about" anything. They more or less just explore themes without making a point about those themes. In the case of No Country for Old Men, those themes might be evil, aging, death, and predestination/free will.
The ending of the moview was just SO bizarre that I thought I had to be missing something. Maybe there is nothing to miss.
I guess I was trying to give the Coen brothers the benefit of the doubt. There is a very real possibility that the movie is about nothing.
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