reax music magazine :: music + culture » Reviews » Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

DCFC takes a narrow stairway from the indie scene and tiptoes toward the mainstream with their sixth studio record Narrow Stairs.  It’s the (inadvertent) product of an all-or-nothing approach, and following the path of musical and personal exploration. The sound is less melancholic and emo, and more catchy and hopeful. Track lengths vary as much as the musical content and the album cover reflects what you hear — colorful snippets overlapping in an abstract adherence. “Cath…,” “Grapevine Fires” and  “You Can Do Better Than Me” summon early DCFC, while others like “Talking Bird” and single “I Will Posses Your Heart” delve into a fresher and sporadicly dark mix of vocals, bass, electros, synths and strings.  Call it diverse, untraditional or progressive; one way or the other, it’s heaps of intellectual and emotional fun. From the lyrical core of relationships and meanderings of everyday life to the musical ingenuity, Stairs creeps up on you and the sheer magnitude of layers takes days to dissect and digest.  Whether it’s loved or hated, the narrow stairway to the heart will keep going up. – Stephanie Bolling