Narrow Stairs (by Death Cab for Cutie, Indie Rock)

In NARROW STAIRS, Seattle based indie rockers Death Cab for Cutie have teetered off the road of expectations, to produce an album that is more raw, modern, and intense than their last one. They stay true to their band's identity, and bring the listener an album full of sad lyrics, changing synth-punk rock grooves, quiet piano, and pulsing bass lines.

Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla calls Narrow Stairs "weird, spectacular, and creepy." Full of eerie life examinations and realizations, this album deals in the dark side. With tracks like "Bixby Canyon Bridge" about disappointment with life, and "No Sunlight," about the loss of innocence and lowered expectations, don't expect to feel uplifted after listening. There are a few "funny" songs -- if you can call them that. "You Can Do Better Than Me" is a not-so-serious tune about being stuck in a relationship, and "Your New Twin Size Bed" deals in the defeat of being alone. "Talking Bird" is simple and sweet, and "The Ice is Getting Thinner" is a heavy, creepy ballad about love gone wrong -- more haunting with its absence of the piano. The music is laid back, like the vocals, with a certain ability to really tug at your heart. There are some surprises with hard guitar and reverb pedals to balance the angst and anger with the sad, stuck lyrics of lost hopes and broken dreams.

Released on: May 13, 2008
Label: Atlantic
Genre: Indie Rock