 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Narrow Stairs
- By Death Cab for Cutie
- Genre: Indie Rock
Common Sense Media says
Melancholy indie rock for aching hearts.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this band is known for their melancholy tunes and ballads, but the lyrics are fine for teens; just a lot of pessimism and disenchantment with life and love. There is one song about stalking ("I will possess your heart") dealing with obsessing over someone without realizing it's wrong. Overall, they sing about what many other indie rock bands sing about: lost hope and unmet expectations.
What's the story?
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.
Is it any good?
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.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the notion that big label bands are forced to subscribe to a certain image or "brand" that is put upon them by the record company and industry as a whole. Do you think this makes music fake or over-produced? Do you prefer bands, like Death Cab, who try to stay true to themselves and their ideals?
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AGE
lyrics
the lyrics of these songs on the album are so intense... in a good way! like in the ice was getting thinner is my favorite on the cd. it really touches dead on, on couples fading away...
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AGE
I love Death Cab for Cutie.
I love Narrow Stairs!My favorite song is Bixby Canyon Bridge.There music is just so calm and soothing.
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Haunting, beautiful, amazing, AND clean album for creative teens
Amazing album, one of the best I've purchased this year. I meant to rate 5 stars but accidentally clicked on 4, oops. So anyways, there is no violence or language at all, and the only thing that could be considered even slightly sexual is in the song Your New Twin-Sized Bed, where it mentions a woman throwing away her queen sized bed and getting a twin sized one because it was "more room than she would need" after a break-up, implying that she used to sleep with her boyfriend. Or it could just mean that there never was a boyfriend and she's just lonely. So really, it's not that big of an issue. For drinking, there is one line in Grapevine Fires that says "we bought some wine and some paper cups" but that's it, the song later goes on to say that they were having a picnic, so it's not like they were going out and getting drunk at a party or anything. The only other concern you may have is that the song I Will Possess Your Heart may, I don't know, creep some people out. No explicit lyrics, but it is a song about a somewhat stalkerish love, "You gotta spend some time, love, you gotta spend some time with me, and I know that you'll find, love, I will possess your heart" The overall tone of the album is slightly dark (though sometimes the tune of the song itself is some what cheery) and I'd recommend it for creative teens who see the world in their own special way. It's a fantastic album, this band has really helped me get through a bunch of rough patches in life, I'd defiantly recommend it. (and DCFC lives in my city, how cool is that?) My favorite tracks are Cath..., Bixby Canyon Bridge, and Your New Twin-Sized Bed. Hope this review helps!
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| Artist: | Death Cab for Cutie |
| Release date: | May 13, 2008 |
| Labels: | Atlantic, WEA |
| Genre: | Indie Rock |
| Parental advisory: | No |
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