Pitchfork

Death Cab for Cutie's sixth full-length, Narrow Stairs, is now-- how might Ben Gibbard put it?-- so much closer than when we saw the video for lead single "I Will Possess Your Heart" a few weeks ago. The sensitive Bellingham, Wash. rockers give a preview of where Stairs is headed in these live in-studio performances for Illinois-based Daytrotter. "Cath" walks a downcast Chris Walla guitar riff down the aisle for a midtempo song about a young woman stoically entering a marriage that's doomed to be unhappy: "As the flashbulbs burst, she holds a smile/ Like someone would hold a crying child." On the slower "Talking Bird", Gibbard again sings about a pretty creature who fails to recognize the possibility of escape. This time he's accompanied by piano as well as gusting, atmospheric guitar and a stately rhythm section. You can also hear renditions of older Death Cab songs, including career highlights like "A Movie Script Ending" and "The New Year", as part of the full Daytrotter session.

MP3s/Streams:> Death Cab for Cutie: "Cath" / "Talking Bird" (Daytrotter Session)
[original tracks from Narrow Stairs; due 05/15/08 on Atlantic]