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Death Cab For Cutie

The Open Door EP

Written by: TL on 25/10/2009 23:52:01

What can I say about Death Cab For Cutie, that hasn't been said already? They've become an institution in indie rock, and rightfully so, because they have yet to produce a bad record, and they have moved masses with their clever and tender emotive songs. Last time we heard from them they did it again with last year's "Narrow Stairs", and as a treat to their fans, they decided to give us "The Open Door EP", a five track disc with left overs from said album.

Considering that this is basically a b-sides disc to "Narrow Stairs", it's not surprising that the songs on offer follow its trend of being more reliant on guitars than on the pianos that characterized "Plans", but as the most recent album proved, that hardly detracted anything from Death Cab's appeal. The record opens with "Little Bribes", an unusually up beat track for DC, which reminds me mostly of some of Ryan Adam's stuff from his "Gold" album (which was excellent). It is followed by a more quintessential track for the band, "A Diamond And A Tether", the verse of which is pretty much exactly what we've come to love Death Cab for, with Ben Gibbard's voice telling us a charming little story.

"My Mirror Speaks" picks the pace up again a bit and the bouncy tempo is also maintained by "I Was Once A Loyal Lover", the last of the 'new' tracks, as the fifth song on offer is merely the demo version of "Talking Bird", which was also on "Narrow Stairs". That final song betrays the essence of the EP though, namely that it is a B-sides disc for better or for worse. I've been playing it on occasion for a long while now, and every time "Talking Bird" comes around, even in this inferior version, it still signifies pretty clearly the difference between a song that made the record, and others that didn't. While the first four songs prove that Death Cab operate on a higher level of quality than by far the majority of similar bands, they just don't have any of those crucial moments that really leaves a mark on your memory. Hence it becomes pretty easy to rate "The Open Door EP" as an interesting and enjoyable release, that it is however okay to skip unless you're a true, die hard DCFC fan.

Download: A Diamond And A Tether, I Was Once A Loyal Lover
For The Fans Of: Ryan Adams, City & Colour, Bright Eyes
Listen: myspace.com/deathcabforcutie

Release Date 14.04.2009
Atlantic Records