Death Cab For Cutie are known to some for their melancholic indie tunes and to others through the Facebook statuses of people so deep that they can cut and paste from Google. Death Cab, however, have very little to be unhappy about at the moment. Between two marriages – one to super-fine indie goddess Zooey Deschanel – a baby and their 2008 album Narrow Stairs hitting number one in the United States, it’s been a pretty cruisey couple of years, and it shows through in the band’s latest release, Codes and Keys.
In a similar strain to Plans, Codes and Keys is less dark than previous releases. The album touches on influences from side project, The Postal Service, turning away from their typically melancholic lyrics and guitar-centric music, towards a more whimsical and electronic sound. The songs are bright, suggesting that Death Cab have finally found the missing piece that they have yearned for in past LPs.
This influence of The Postal Service can be seen the most on opening track “Home is a Fire” – the slow and echoing vocals overlaying a fast synth and bass tempo. “Some Boys” almost sounds like a lullaby for drummer Jason McGerr's new baby, cooing you to sleep while teaching you to be wary of some boys.
“Portable Television” and “Stay Young, Go Dancing” differ from the rest of the LP in that they are stripped back production-wise with no electro or synth sounds. Combined with the upbeat lyrics and sound, it is a refreshing change of pace which maintains your interest.
The lyrical composition is – as usual - beautifully poetic, with the imagery conveyed taking you away from the present and into the mind of Gibbard. Songs such as “Doors Unlocked and Open” sends you ‘down to an ocean of sound, living in slow motion and free,’ and through the nostalgia of a “Monday Morning”.
Review Score: 8/10
