home > news and reviews
Music Spotlight: Death Cab for Cutie's 'Narrow Stairs'

Genre: indie pop/rock
Label: Atlantic
Release date: May 13
Producer: Chris Walla
Related Links: Last fm site /Official Artist Site

Whereas 2005's "Plans" saw Death Cab for Cutie polishing up its pop sound, "Narrow Stairs," the group's second Atlantic effort, finds the Seattle boys scratching things up a bit. The tone is darker, the sound more raw, but nothing here is shape-shifting enough to offer much new to long-time fans.

reviewarrow.jpg Overall Grade: B- (4 Votes)

Affiliate Reviews

hairline.jpg

“Death Cab For Cutie has the strange ability to change very little and yet at the same time, change everything." -- Ryan Broderick, The Hofstra Chronicle
Read Full Review
Grade: A

hairline.jpg

"'Narrow Stairs' has just enough familiarity to attract new fans and more than enough experimentation to please long-time followers." -- Laura Dattaro, The Review
Read Full Review
Grade: B+

hairline.jpg

“'Narrow Stairs' is good enough for now, but it leaves Death Cab’s future uncertain." -- Christie McCollum, The Daily Bruin
Read Full Review
Grade: C+

hairline.jpg

"If you've heard 'Transatlanticism' and 'Plans,' you've heard it all before - and there's nothing new in Gibbard's whining for anyone to be surprised by." -- Raxana Hadadi, The Diamondback
Read Full Review
Grade: C




Cobra Starship plays Iowa City with new agenda
A snake sunning itself is a common image - one typically used to represent the height of laziness, especially now, as peak of summer draws nearer. It's lucky for Cobra Starship, then, that the serpent in its name is more commonly used to represent stealth, killer instinct, and power.
OK Go members offer songwriting tips, play acoustic set at Northwestern
MTV reality show editor-in-chief to attend NYU in fall

My Morning Jacket
Music Spotlight: My Morning Jacket's 'Evil Urges'
My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James has a trick or two up his sleeve, and on "Evil Urges" he pulls out all the stops. The album winds its way through funk, R&B, and of course, some of the band's signature Southern rockers. It's a bit head-scratching, but still another solid effort.
Music Spotlight: Lil' Wayne's 'Tha Carter III'
Music Spotlight: Death Cab for Cutie's 'Narrow Stairs'


This section's contents are produced entirely by student journalists, brought to Billboard.com by UWIRE, the leading provider of student-generated content. UWIRE aims to identify and promote the brightest young content creators and deliver their work to a larger audience via professional media partners such as Billboard.com. Visit UWIRE.com to learn more.
AT&T
  About Us  Contact Us  Glossary  FAQs  Site Map  Media Kit  Licensing Opportunities  Classifieds  RSS  © 2008 Nielsen Business Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use  |   Privacy Policy