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It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reasons for Ben Gibbard’s dramatic departure from Death Cab For Cutie’s earlier sound on Codes and Keys – perhaps it was the slightly lukewarm reception to the lush and brilliant Narrow Stairs, which textured the band’s synonymous chiming, rough-edged guitar sounds with subtle loops and samples. More likely is the possibility that Gibbard’s marriage to archetypal Manic Pixie Dream Girl Zooey Deschanel has had a mellowing effect and killed off some of the band’s charming frontman’s appetite for teasing out painful emotions through his music.
Whatever the cause for the band’s stylistic shift, however, it’s difficult not to feel very slightly disappointed with their latest offering, which eschews the guitars to an extent and uses humming synth and motorik rhythms instead as a jump-off point. Gibbard stated that Radiohead’s Kid A would probably be seen as a likely target for comparison, and though this holds true to an extent, the latter group’s In Rainbows album seems a better reference point, with Death Cab’s new sound matching the swelling and delicate drum work and fragile vocals of tracks such as ‘Reckoner’. On some tracks, where these instrumental touches are matched to catchy melodies and more discernible guitar hooks, it works brilliantly, especially on lead single ‘You Are A Tourist’. On others, however, the processed vocals and blustery instruments prevent the band from reaching the raw emotional peaks they have touched on previously in tracks like ‘Transatlanticism’ or ‘Grapevine Fires’.
The album cannot be considered bad by any measure – indeed, considering the slightly impetuous side Gibbard has displayed on some of the group’s earlier works, it serves as an example of just how mature and astute his approach to lyrics has become. Indeed, as a soothing and generally affecting album, it is a highly logical progression for the group considering the direction they have slowly begun to adopt over time. The greater foregrounding of piano throughout the album, which has propped up some of the band’s best offerings yet, can only be welcomed as a good thing.