video: Death Cab for Cutie - "Title and Registration"

this video needs more views. NOW.

I've been spinning Transatlanticism a lot lately.

Death Cab For Cutie to play The Fillmore in June (PRESALE + more tour dates)

the band is playing mostly smaller, intimate venues to support their forthcoming seventh album, Codes and Keys. you can preorder the bundle on their WEBSITE

Death Cab For Cutie Tour Dates:

5/18, Toronto, ON (Phoenix Concert Theatre)#
5/20, Chicago IL (Metro)#
5/21, Minneapolis MN (First Avenue)#
5/24, Edmonton, AB (Shaw Conference Center)*
5/25, Calgary, AB (Stampede Corral)*
5/27, Bend, OR (Les Schwab Amphitheatre)*
5/28, George, WA (Sasquatch!)
6/1, New York, NY (Bowery)#
6/3, Washington, DC (9:30 Club)#
6/4, Philadelphia (Trocadero)#
6/5, Boston (The Paradise)#
6/7, Los Angeles (El Rey Theatre)#
6/9, San Francisco (Fillmore)#

* w/ Bright Eyes
# w/ the Lonely Forest

PRESALE tomorrow 10AM-5PM, regular tickets go on sale Saturday.
presale password = codesandkeys

new Death Cab for Cutie: "Codes and Keys"

sounds like old Death Cab. Ben Gibbard played the following two songs last week at his sold out Noisepop show at Great American Music Hall. "Codes and Keys" is supposedly Brian Eno-esque on the album

Codes And Keys (Gibbard Solo, Live in SF) by TwentyFourBit.com

and here is a solo song from Ben, his contribution to the Arthur soundtrack (the 2011 remake of the 1981 film, starring Russell Brand)

When The Sun Goes Down On Your Street (Gibbard Solo, Live in SF) by TwentyFourBit.com

Ben Gibbard to play closing solo set at SF's Noisepop festival

a couple of years ago, Stephen Malkmus played a solo show for Noisepop at Great American Music Hall, a fantastic little venue in the city. this year, Ben Gibbard will do the same

Saturday, Feb. 27th at the Great American Music Hall
opener: Zach Rogue (of Rogue Wave)
tix go on sale Saturday Jan. 15th at 10AM PST, get them HERE

Ben Gibbard - I Don't Want To Get Over You (Magnetic Fields Cover) [mp3]

new Death Cab for Cutie album early next year

via NME:

"We're going in the studio in June to start working on the record," frontman Ben Gibbard told MTV. "We're going to be recording through the summer and into the fall, probably looking for a spring 2011 release."

He added: "I certainly feel a lot more confident as a songwriter and a musician, and confident in the ability of my bandmates to make things that we'd want to listen to ourselves."

Death Cab for Cutie - 405 (acoustic) [mp3]

REPOST: climbing the narrow stairs.

fuck you DMCA. I specifically posted a live mp3. fucking aye, I recorded that video and extracted the mp3 from it myself. why do you have to take down my post?

assholes.

"how i wish you could see
the potential of you and me
it's like a book,
elegantly bound, but in a language that you can't read"

it's amazing how a simple thing like liner notes will change how you perceive an album. I first listened to Narrow Stairs ages ago, I had downloaded it and was listening to it as I did some reading for school. I liked it, but nothing stuck out. it was no Transatlanticism.

I later listened to it more diligently in the days preceding the glorious concert, during which I heard most of the songs from Narrow Stairs performed live. I liked them a lot. but something was still missing.

today, I went to a record store and picked up a handful of goodies, including Death Cab's latest LP. I'm listening to it right now, as I read the liner notes. 

the lyrics at the top of the post struck me, HARD. they are the opening lyrics to a single, called "I Will Possess Your Heart". even though I'd heard the song a dozen times, I never heard those lyrics (probably because four minutes of gorgeous instrumentals precede them). 

but still, those are some of the most beautiful words I've ever read. and I was a freaking lit major in college.

I'm appreciating Narrow Stairs a lot more now.

I have this theory, that having a physical copy of an album can allow you to connect with it in a way that mp3 downloads will never match. my experiences with Narrow Stairs tonight only cement this.

so I implore you,

spend a little more time with vinyl or cds. read liner notes. know who wrote what songs and where the thing was recorded. all four members of Death Cab for Cutie contributed to "I Will Possess Your Heart". 

and remember, most of our favourite musicians are fucking poets. let's appreciate the written word. it'll give you satisfaction that itunes will never be able to match. 

I've never in my life purchased an mp3, and I don't ever plan on doing so. mp3s are for sampling. records are for keeps.

concert review: Ra Ra Riot, Andrew Bird, Death Cab for Cutie @ Greek Theatre (Berkeley), 11 July 2009

Saturday’s concert was, hands down, one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to (and I go to a ton of shows).The evening was simply magical.

Ra Ra Riot opened with a short but solid set drawing from their debut The Rhumb Line. Although they faltered at first, they gained confidence with each song, culminating with a spectacular rendition of "Oh, La" that was ringing in my head all night.




They were clearly comfortable, and their interaction on stage showcased deep bonds of friendship. Although their intimate, string driven songs would be better delivered at a small venue, the Greek Theatre's vast size did not hinder their enthusiasm, nor their strong deliveries.

Andrew Bird came on stage next and the crowd quickly broke into song wishing him a happy birthday (we did this again midway through his set). Bringing along his signature spinning gramophone and stuffed monkey, Mr. Bird awed the audience with his highly improvisational, technically magnificent songs.






My theory that this man possesses magical powers was cemented as it started raining during "Anonanimal", a beautiful rainbow emerging in the sky. The strongest song of the set was the closer, "Fake Palindromes". I was nearly in tears when he left the stage, and although I had only heard about an hour of music, I was satisfied. Death Cab was the frosting on the cake.

Death Cab for Cutie, or Taxi De La Muerta Para Mamasita (as a pair of Columbian boys translated for me) were simply stellar. I've been a fan of the band for four years now, but I had never seen them in concert. That was a big, big mistake on my part. Their live performance is much needed nourishment for the soul in an age where Rolling Stone gives the Jonas Brothers not one but two covers.




Their twenty song set list (which I jotted down as the night progressed) was superbly crafted; it reminded me a bit of what Rob from High Fidelity says about mix tapes (about turning it down a notch and then back up). Best of all, they relayed the songs equally. By this I mean they didn't seem any less enthused about playing their singles than their lesser known songs. I really hate it when bands make it seem like it's a burden to play their hits. Ben Gibbard did the opposite, and the result was amazing.





Best of all, the concert made me want to go home and play their records over and over again. The best concerts are the ones that remind you why you love the band in the first place, strengthening your resolve to shun the radio and revel in the glory that is quality music.

Set List:

Marching Bands of Manhattan
Your Heart is an Empty Room
The New Year
We Laugh Indoors
Crooked Teeth
No Sunlight
My Mirror Speaks
President of What?
Summer Skin
Grapevine Fires
I Will Possess Your Heart
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
Little Bribes
Cath
A Movie Script Ending
Soul Meets Body

What Sarah Said
Long Division
The Sound of Settling
Transatlanticism

Ra Ra Riot: 3.5/5

Andrew Bird: 4.9/5 (my only complaint is that his set should have been longer)

Death Cab for Cutie: 5/5

videos will be uploaded to my YOUTUBE page shortly

Death Cab for Cutie - Cath (Craig Ferguson) [mp3]

video: Death Cab for Cutie - "Little Bribes" on Conan O Brien

the band performed a stellar version of the opener of their latest EP, The Open Door, on Conan last night.

Death Cab for Cutie - Little Bribes (live, Conan) [mp3]

I am very, very excited about Saturday, when I'm seeing them AND Andrew Bird at Berkeley's Greek Theatre. Ra Ra Riot will also be playing.

new Death Cab songs streaming on STEREOGUM

"I was once a lover" is much, much better than anything on Narrow Stairs

listen HERE

needless to say, I shall be purchasing the EP, physical release on April 14th

new Death Cab for Cutie video: Grapevine Fires

watch it HERE

I need to listen to Narrow Stairs more thoroughly. I don't even remember this song. I think I heard the whole album only twice through or something. That must be remedied.

new Death Cab for Cutie tour dates

supporting artists include three of my favourites:
Cold War Kids,
Ra Ra Riot,
& Matt Costa

(but it varies from show to show)

4/7 Philadelphia, PA/Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre
4/8 Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
4/10 Louisville, KY @ Louisville Place
4/11 Memphis, TN @ Orpheum Theatre
4/12 Tulsa, OK @ Brady Theatre
4/13 Omaha, NE @ Holland Theatre
4/15 St Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
4/18/09 East Lansing, MI @ Breslin Events Center
4/25 Boise, ID @ Morrison Center
5/4 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
5/5 Birmingham, AL @ BJCC Concert Hall
5/6 Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre

buy your tickets HERE

Death Cab for Cutie - Love Song (Cure cover) [mp3, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!]
don't let my crass exterior fool you, I am a total sucker for this song. The Cure, Joy Division, The Smiths, gotta love that self indulgent depressing music. not that shit that they call emo/screamo these days. I don't consider that music.

also, watch this performance. it's pretty incredible:

Death Cab For Cutie Tour Dates

they will play the tonight show with Jay Leno tonight (11:30 PST)

11.01.08 - Reno, NV - Tickets

11.12.08 - Belfast, Northern Ireland - Tickets

11.13.08 - Dublin, Ireland - Sold Out

11.14.08 - Edinburgh, Scotland - Tickets

11.15.08 - Nottingham, England - Tickets

11.16.08 - Bristol, England - Tickets

11.17.08 - Sheffield, England - Tickets

11.19.08 - London, England - Tickets

11.20.08 - The Hague, Netherlands - Tickets

11.21.08 - Munich, Germany - Tickets

11.22.08 - Brussels, Belgium - Tickets

11.23.08 - Paris, France - Tickets

11.24.08 - Bielefeld, Germany - Tickets

11.25.08 - Berlin, Germany - Tickets

12.02.08 - Milwaukee, WI - Tickets

12.04.08 - Baton Rouge, LA - Tickets

12.09.08 - Seattle, WA - Tickets

12.11.08 - Oakland, CA - Tickets

DCFC - All Apologies (Nirvana cover) [mp3]

new death cab for cutie

their sixth album, Narrow Stairs, is due out for a May 13th release

download a session version of a movie script ending HERE

for tour dates and other cool stuff, visit DCFC on their MYSPACE.