You Can't Do Much Better Than Narrow Stairs

I've been awaiting May 13 for quite some time. Simply for the fact that Narrow Stairs, the newest Death Cab for Cutie album would finally be in my hands.

So on my lunch hour (yes, working full time) I headed over to Best Buy to get this little beauty. After a minor heart attack when I couldn't find it, I was delighted to see the strange yet amazing cover art that made it stand out from the other new releases this week. Much to my dismay though, I had to wait another 5 hours before actually being able to listen to it. 

I've got to say... the five hours that I had to wait was definitely worth it, without a doubt. I'm trying to understand why critics who reviewed the album classified it as 'dark' and such 'a different sound,' because to me it's anything but dark. Sure, some songs have more deep lyrics then fans might be used to, but Gibbard's work far surpasses almost everything that he has done up until this point.

While the whole album (produced by Chris Walla) is practically flawless, certain songs definitely stick out. Be sure to listen to 'You Can Do Better Than Me' along with 'Your New Twin Sized Bed' and 'Bixby Canyon Bridge.'

You won't be disappointed.

Album Art & Tour Dates = The Beginning of A Countdown to May 13

Death Cab for Cutie released it's album artwork this week. You can find the pre-order information on iTunes and Bestbuy.com.

I already pre-ordered mine. :)

Along with the album artwork for Narrow Stairs, they released some tour dates, as well as the official track listing. Unfortunately they aren't coming anywhere too close to me, but I've always wanted to go to Boston...

In the month of May we've got:

9 - Providence, R.I. @ Providence Piers
10 - Boston, Mass. @ Bank of America Pavilion
24 - Bend, Ore. @ Les Schwab Amphitheater
28 - Morrison, Colo. @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre

In the month of June we've got:

9 - Columbia, Md. @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
13 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Plain Dealer Pavilion
17 - Grand Prairie, Texas @ Nokia Theatre

We've also been blessed with a complete and set track listing! Horray!

1. Bixby Canyon Bridge
2. I Will Possess Your Heart (available online at amazon.com and iTunes)
3. No Sunlight
4. Cath…
5. Talking Bird
6. You Can Do Better Than Me
7. Grapevine Fires
8. Your New Twin Sized Bed
9. Long Division
10. Pity and Fear
11. The Ice Is Getting Thinner

I hope that they realize that this isn't making my wait any easier...

With Spring Right Around the Corner, Rumors of New Releases Are Blossoming Everywhere

After a seemingly long winter with few releases to make note of, plenty of artists are coming out of the woodwork to announce their new releases for the spring and early summer of 2008. Here are two that I'm eagerly anticipating to bring me into the summer months.



The Glass Passenger
Jack's Mannequin
Release Date: April 22, 2008

With a release date finally confirmed by AP.net, the growing crowds of impatient JM lovers can rest a little easier. After being featured as Alternative Press' Most Anticipated Albums of 2008 (January '08 issue), the disc is expected to include 10 tracks with a seven minute long song that came out of a hospital stay (Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia three months before the release of Everything in Transit in 2005). McMahon seems to be keeping most of the details on the CD a secret, as many of the tracks have names that are to be determined, and pre-sale information is nonexistent.

And for anyone in the Lancaster/Lebanon area, JM will be playing a set at the Chameleon Club on April 15, 2008.





Narrow Stairs
Death Cab for Cutie
Release Date: May 13, 2008

With it's first single "I Will Possess Your Heart" set to be released on March 18 and distributed to radio stations on March 24, the DCFC crew is on their way to releasing what fans hope to be another steller album to follow Plans (2005). With talks of a much darker and creepier sounds then previous albums, critic James Montgomery of MTV said that it is 'unquestionably the best thing they've ever done.' Kicking off the album will be a nine-minute long 'Bixby Canyon Bridge' and will be followed by ten more tracks. One thing is for sure, the second week of May will not come soon enough.