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This is the moment that you know
That you told her that you loved her but you don’t.
Gentle, understated and evocative are the lyrics and music of Death Cab for Cutie. I first heard Ben Gibbard’s voice and lyrics through The Postal Service and I just bought (from the iTunes Music Store) Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie. At times I feel as if I’m reading the journal of a slightly-angst-ridden young man (which could have been me at one point). A beautiful mingling of sweetness and pain.
There is no shortage of angst out there, but the magic touch that Gibbard seems to bring is the way that the lyrics meet the music and how his voice shapes those words. It’s very difficult to explain in words and it’s probably the type of thing that you’ll either like or not, but it really works for me. The song Tiny Vessels is one of my instant favourites with a brutal honesty in the lyrics and a simple musical arrangement that builds to something larger and more complex. The album is filled with songs that mix pop-sensibilities with angst into songs that aren’t top 40 singles, but aren’t musically obscure.
With a new album out next month and a touring DVD out in a couple of weeks, Death Cab for Cutie will probably be mentioned here again soon…
