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Home / Death Cab for Cutie Art Death Cab for Cutie Narrow Stairs

Death Cab for Cutie Art Death Cab for Cutie Narrow Stairs

2008 studio album by Expiry Cab for Cutie

Narrow Stairs
Narrow stairs.jpg
Studio album by

Expiry Cab for Cutie
Released May 12, 2008
Studio Robert Lang Studios, Seattle, United States
Genre
  • Alternative stone
  • indie rock
Length 44:50
Characterization
  • Atlantic
  • Barsuk
Producer Chris Walla[one]
Death Cab for Cutie chronology
Plans
(2005) 		Narrow Stairs
(2008) 		The Open Door EP
(2009)
Singles from Narrow Stairs
  1. "I Will Possess Your Heart"
    Released: March 17, 2008
  2. "Cath..."
    Released: July 21, 2008
  3. "No Sunlight"
    Released: November 17, 2008
  4. "Grapevine Fires"
    Released: February 3, 2009

Narrow Stairs is the sixth studio album by indie stone band Decease Cab for Cutie, released on May 12, 2008 in the United Kingdom and on May xiii, 2008, in the United states, on Atlantic and Barsuk Records.[2]

Four singles were released for the album: "I Will Possess Your Centre", "Cath...", "No Sunlight", and "Grapevine Fires". "I Volition Possess Your Heart" reached number six on the Usa Alternative Songs chart, was named iTunes UK song of the year 2008, and was nominated for the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. "Cath..." and "Grapevine Fires", also reached number ten and number xx-ane on the The states Alternative Songs nautical chart, respectively.

Narrow Stairs reached number one on the Billboard 200, making it Decease Cab for Cutie's highest charting album to-engagement.

Recording and production [edit]

In October 2007, producer and guitarist Chris Walla said that Death Cab for Cutie'due south new album "is in full swing; nosotros're six songs in." He went on to say, "thus far it's pretty weird and pretty spectacular; lots of blood. Information technology's creepy and heavy... we've got a ten infinitesimal long Can jam, and had you suggested that possibility to me in 1998, I'd accept eaten your puppy'southward brain with a spoon."[iii] In a Billboard piece, Walla described the anthology: "It's really weird. It's really, really good, I recall, but it's totally a bend ball, and I think information technology's gonna be a really polarizing record. Merely I'm really excited about it. Information technology'due south really got some teeth. The landscape of the matter is style, way more lunar than the urban meadow sort of thing that has been happening for the terminal couple of records." Walla went on to say, "[Information technology'due south also] louder and more dissonant and [...] I recollect annoying would exist a adept word to utilize. [We were influenced by] heavy, sludgy, slow metal [and] synth-punk ring Brainiac."[4] Ben Gibbard, lead singer and writer, commented, "I just don't feel like nosotros actually have anything to evidence of it other than to ourselves and to making a record we really enjoy."[5]

In 2011 Walla stated, "the master plan for Narrow Stairs was to be equally invisible and hands-off as a producer as I possibly could. I was really interested in seeing what would happen. When nosotros started that record, nosotros had been on tour for the better part of two years. All nosotros could remember was beingness on stage and playing. And then the whole idea was: what happens if we're but on stage and we play, except nosotros're in the studio and we're recording?"[half-dozen] Walla added "Narrow Stairs was very much a commitment to just crashing through the songs as we recorded them, like four people in a room."[7]

Writing and composition [edit]

While promoting the band'south subsequent album, Codes and Keys (2011), Benjamin Gibbard reflected upon Narrow Stairs' lyrical content, stating, "That record is kind of a fulcrum in my life. So much of the negativity in my life got funneled into it. I realized afterwards that I didn't want to get whatever darker. I wanted it to be the bottom for this band and my own emotional spectrum in terms of writing. I had no grandiose plans to turn my life effectually."[viii]

Notes [edit]

Several of the songs have literary or cultural themes, for case "Grapevine Fires" appears to be centered on the wildfires that raged in California during the summer and fall of 2007.

"Bixby Canyon Span" features many references to writer Jack Kerouac, whom Ben Gibbard often notes equally a favorite author in interviews, and the song was written during a trip to Big Sur, the location of Bixby Creek Bridge.[9] Gibbard has written lyrics referencing Kerouac before, including the songs "Lowell, MA" and "Championship Rails" from Death Cab for Cutie's 2000 album, Nosotros Have the Facts and Nosotros're Voting Yes, and his contribution of lyrics and vocals to a vocal by Styrofoam titled "Couches in Alleys".

"Compassion and Fearfulness" features an abrupt ending where the song finishes without alarm during an instrumental. In an interview, the band stated that the tape motorcar they were using broke toward the end, however the band liked so much that they included it in the final version of the song.

The concluding runway on the anthology, "The Water ice Is Getting Thinner", is used in the offset-season finale of the television serial Gossip Daughter, as well every bit in the fourth flavour of reality series The Hills. The vocal "No Sunlight" is included in the soundtrack for Choke. "Pity and Fearfulness" was included in the ending of an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The outset track, "Bixby Canyon Span", was used at the finish of the Fri Night Lights episode, "How the Other Side Lives".

The cover art was created by designer EE Storey, the art director for Tegan and Sara.[x]

Critical reception [edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 73/100[eleven]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [12]
The A.Five. Lodge A[13]
Entertainment Weekly B[14]
The Guardian [fifteen]
The Independent [16]
Mojo [17]
Pitchfork half dozen.0/10[eighteen]
Q [19]
Rolling Stone [20]
Spin [21]

The album holds a score of 73 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[11] MTV's James Montgomery referred to Narrow Stairs as "unquestionably the all-time affair [Death Cab has] ever washed".[22] Rolling Stone chosen the album "a dark, strangely compelling record that trades the group'due south bright melancholy for something nearer to despair."[twenty] In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau gave information technology a 2-star honorable mention ( (2-star Honorable Mention) (2-star Honorable Mention) ), while picking out 2 songs from the album ("You Can Do Better Than Me" and "Grapevine Fires") and stating that the anthology has "Unfailingly melodic, surprisingly dynamic, somewhat overextended honey problems, and if [Ben is] so smart why doesn't he shelve music and solve them?"[23]

The album has been highly rated by critics and fans, having been awarded iv stars out of v by publications such as Rolling Stone, Blender [24] Kerrang!,[25] Uncut, Alternative Press, The Times,[26] The Observer,[27] The Independent and The Guardian, as well as by the websites AllMusic and Outcome of Sound,[28] and Tiny Mix Tapes.[29] TIME mag awarded the album a "B+" rating, with The A.Five. Social club giving it an "A" rating.[13] Boston radio station WERS ranked Narrow Stairs as the No.eight album of 2008 based on a listener poll. Even more favorable reviews come up from such publishers as Under the Radar (with nine stars out of ten),[11] Billboard,[xxx] The Boston Globe,[31] Hartford Courant,[32] Paste (seven out of ten),[33] and Filter (70%).[eleven]

Other reviews that are given iii stars out of five are Mojo,[xi] Q,[11] At present,[34] and Prefix Magazine (six out of ten),[35] also as the website Sputnikmusic.[36] Publishers that have mixed reviews are Camber Magazine (ii-and-a-one-half stars out of five),[37] Hot Press (two.5 out of v),[38] The Austin Relate (two stars out of five),[39] and The Village Vox.[40]

Commercial functioning [edit]

In its debut week, Narrow Stairs reached the No.ane spot on the Billboard 200 nautical chart, selling 144,000 copies and scoring the band its first No.1 anthology. 1 week later it fell to No.5 with 52,000 copies. As of January 31, 2009, the album had sold over 475,000 copies in the US. Narrow Stairs was certified Gold by the RIAA in February 2009, for shipments of 500,000 copies.[41]

Narrow Stairs was nominated for the "All-time Alternative Music Anthology" accolade at the 51st Grammy Awards. In improver, "I Will Possess Your Center" was nominated for "All-time Rock Song".[42]

Track listing [edit]

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Bixby Canyon Bridge" Ben Gibbard 5:15
2. "I Volition Possess Your Heart" Gibbard, Nick Harmer, Jason McGerr, Chris Walla 8:25
iii. "No Sunlight" Gibbard, Walla 2:40
4. "Cath..." Gibbard 3:50
5. "Talking Bird" Gibbard 3:23
half dozen. "You Tin can Do Meliorate Than Me" Gibbard 1:59
7. "Grapevine Fires" Gibbard, Harmer, McGerr four:09
8. "Your New Twin Sized Bed" Gibbard, Harmer 3:06
nine. "Long Division" Gibbard, Harmer, Walla 3:50
10. "Pity and Fear" Gibbard 4:21
11. "The Ice Is Getting Thinner" Gibbard, Walla iii:45
iTunes Store bonus tracks
No. Title Author(s) Length
12. "I Will Possess Your Heart" (radio edit) Gibbard, Harmer, McGerr, Walla iv:08
thirteen. "Anthology Credits" (As Read by Mike Due west) two:51
14. "The Ice Is Getting Thinner" (Demo) Gibbard, Walla 3:xxx
15. "No Sunlight" (Demo) Gibbard, Walla 3:25

The latter two demos were also included on the vinyl LP edition of the album.

Personnel [edit]

Death Cab for Cutie

  • Ben Gibbard – vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, keyboard, drums, drum automobile
  • Nick Harmer – bass, backing vocals
  • Jason McGerr – drums, percussion
  • Chris Walla – atomic number 82 guitar, audio sequencer, backing vocals, pianoforte, keyboard

Production

  • Chris Walla – production, recording, mixing
  • Eric A. Hegg – centerfold photo
  • Alex Newport – mixing
  • Chris Tabron – mixing banana
  • Roger Seibel – mastering
  • EE Storey – artwork, layout

Charts [edit]

Certifications [edit]

Release history [edit]

The album was initially released on May 12, 2008,[2] in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland and on the post-obit solar day in the The states.

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Expiry Cab For Cutie Mount Narrow Stairs". chartattack.com . Retrieved March 8, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Death Cab For Cutie Announce Uk Shows". XFM. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved April xx, 2008.
  3. ^ Death Cab for Cutie: "We're six songs in." Archived October 20, 2007, at the Wayback Car. Puddlegum (Jan 29, 2008). Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Death Cab for Cutie promises louder, abrasive, dissonant new anthology. Punknews.org. Retrieved on July vii, 2011.
  5. ^ Making of the new album on YouTube (December 14, 2007). Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  6. ^ Expiry Cab For Cutie – interview – Interviews Archived March 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. thevine.com.au. Retrieved on July vii, 2011.
  7. ^ Death Cab For Cutie – interview – Interviews Archived March 22, 2012, at the Wayback Auto. thevine.com.au. Retrieved on July seven, 2011.
  8. ^ Death Cab for Cutie profile; Death Cab for Cutie interview – Chicago Tribune. Articles.chicagotribune.com (May nineteen, 2011). Retrieved on July seven, 2011.
  9. ^ Ben Gibbard Turns To Kerouac As Inspiration For New Death Cab for Cutie Album : Rolling Stone : Rock and Curl Daily. Rolling Rock (August 31, 2007). Retrieved on July 7, 2011.
  10. ^ "New Album for Expiry Cab for Cutie". eFluxMedia. May 13, 2008. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved May xiii, 2008.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "Reviews for Narrow Stairs past Death Cab for Cutie". Metacritic. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  12. ^ Leahey, Andrew. "Narrow Stairs – Decease Cab for Cutie". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  13. ^ a b Ryan, Kyle (May 12, 2008). "Decease Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs". The A.5. Club . Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  14. ^ Weingarten, Marc (May 16, 2008). "Narrow Stairs". Amusement Weekly . Retrieved July nine, 2013.
  15. ^ Costa, Maddy (May 9, 2008). "Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs". The Guardian . Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  16. ^ Gill, Andy (May nine, 2008). "Album: Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs (Atlantic)". The Independent. Archived from the original on Feb 6, 2009. Retrieved Jan 20, 2016.
  17. ^ "Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs". Mojo (175): 109. June 2008.
  18. ^ Hogan, Marc (May 12, 2008). "Decease Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs". Pitchfork . Retrieved Jan twenty, 2016.
  19. ^ "Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs". Q (263): 138. June 2008.
  20. ^ a b Hermes, Will (May xv, 2008). "Narrow Stairs". Rolling Rock . Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  21. ^ Modell, Josh (May 2008). "The Zen of Ben". Spin. 24 (5): 94. Retrieved January xx, 2016.
  22. ^ Montgomery, James. "Death Cab For Cutie Make The Spring With Narrow Stairs, In Bigger Than The Sound". MTV. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
  23. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Death Cab for Cutie". RobertChristgau.com . Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  24. ^ Blender review Archived May 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ Anthology reviews at CD Universe
  26. ^ The Times review Archived May 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ The Observer review
  28. ^ Consequence of Sound review
  29. ^ Tiny Mix Tapes review
  30. ^ "Billboard review". Archived from the original on May xiii, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  31. ^ The Boston Globe review
  32. ^ Hartford Courant review Archived July 11, 2013, at annal.today
  33. ^ Paste review
  34. ^ At present review
  35. ^ Prefix Magazine review
  36. ^ Sputnikmusic review
  37. ^ Slant Magazine review
  38. ^ Hot Press review
  39. ^ The Austin Chronicle review
  40. ^ The Village Vocalisation review
  41. ^ "Certification for Decease Cab for Cutie". RIAA Gold and Platinum Certification Database. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June xviii, 2010.
  42. ^ "51st Grammy Awards". Grammy.com. Retrieved December iv, 2008.
  43. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs". Hung Medien. Retrieved August ix, 2020.
  44. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs" (in High german). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  45. ^ "Ultratop.be – Expiry Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  46. ^ "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved Baronial 9, 2020.
  47. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Decease Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  48. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Decease Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved Baronial 9, 2020.
  49. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Expiry Cab for Cutie". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  50. ^ "Charts.nz – Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  51. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Expiry Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs". Hung Medien. Retrieved August ix, 2020.
  52. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs". Hung Medien. Retrieved August ix, 2020.
  53. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  54. ^ "Official Albums Chart Pinnacle 100". Official Charts Visitor. Retrieved Baronial 9, 2020.
  55. ^ Hasty, Katy (May 21, 2008). "Death Cab For Cutie Scores First No. 1 Album". Billboard mag . Retrieved May 21, 2008.
  56. ^ "Death Cab for Cutie Nautical chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  57. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Yr-End 2008". Billboard . Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  58. ^ "Peak Rock Albums – Year-Finish 2008". Billboard . Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  59. ^ "British album certifications – Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June half-dozen, 2021.
  60. ^ "American anthology certifications – Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs". Recording Industry Clan of America. Retrieved March 17, 2019.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrow_Stairs