- Photos:
-
related items
When Death Cab for Cutie headlines Sunday at the Grand Sierra Resort, fans will get a chance to enjoy songs they didn’t have a prayer of hearing when the band played Reno in November.
The four new songs on “The Narrow Door EP,” released three months ago, were written as far back as 2006, but bassist Nick Harmer said the band decided to keep all of the new material close to their chests, playing it live only after it was officially released.
That’s been the Seattle-based indie rock quartet’s policy since the band struggled in the studio while recording 2001’s “The Photo Album,” and it was difficult to change songs that had worked fine for a month and a half.
“It’s doing us a disservic e creatively to bring the songs out before they’re ready because we like to explore in the studio,” Harmer said.
Fans can also get attached
And when fans get attached to unreleased versions, it can be just as problematic.
“If you play a song live, that’s it. That’s the song,” Harmer said. “And if you present it differently, you’re automatically opening the door to a host of criticism, especially from superfans.”
Speaking via phone from Seattle, Harmer’s voice becomes higher and nasally as he takes on the persona of a committed consumer, hunched in front of a screen and posting feverishly to an online music forum:
"Look, I saw them play that song once and now I heard the recorded version, and it’s totally different and it sucks because I saw it first in its original form."
“We found that it’s better to let the release come out,” Harmer said, “and then the debate is sort of moot.”
The fifth song on “The Open Door” is a demo version of “Talking Bird,” which appeared on 2008’s “Narrow Stairs,” their sixth and most recent studio album. The demo features just lead singer Ben Gibbard and a ukulele, and Harmer gives it as an example of a song that might have stagnated there had it been released to the public.
A good album comes first
“The four of us were raised on albums,” Harmer said. “If you’re the kind of music listener who wants to experience an album from start to finish … and the journey that an album kind of takes you on, it’s really important for us to create that every time.”
Death Cab’s breakout album was 2003’s “Transatlanticism,” which eventually was certified Gold in 2008 and earned the band mainstream plugs, such as multiple mentions on “The OC.” Their next release, “Plans,” was released in 2005 and eventually went Platinum, yielding minor hits like “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth.” Songs on “The Open Door” were written and recorded alongside “Narrow Stairs,” but didn’t naturally fit into the track order.
The band wasn’t about to tack them onto the end of a coherent work or just throw them up on iTunes. But when they weren’t used as B-sides for singles or in other promotions, they didn’t want to let them disappear, either.
Cut from the same cloth
The songs clearly came from the “Narrow Stairs” era, and they sound more upbeat than the average Death Cab for Cutie tune, even as Gibbard’s words are darker and more anxious than usual.
“Little Bribes” describes a casino scene as depressing as any could be, while the bright and catchy “I Was Once a Loyal Lover” deals with arrested development and diminishing friendships. Musically, they align with recent tunes like “Cath” and “Crooked Teeth,” never mellowing to the point of tracks “You Could Do Better Than Me” and “The Ice is Getting Thinner” or escalating to the level of older songs like “The New Year.”
One step at a time
Harmer said that since he joined the band in 1998, they’ve always made step-by-step decisions on their road to fame.
“It’s really been, ‘Well, let’s make an album — great. Let’s go on tour — awesome. You guys want to make another album? Yeah, let’s do that,’” He said.
More than a decade later, the “indie rock” label they’re commonly ascribed seems almost laughable for a band that has both Platinum and No. 1 albums and is signed to Atlantic Records.
Neil Young, for whom the band opened at their Reno stop in November, has offered them a model for continued success, or at least staying sane.
“To be out supporting Neil Young was like going to school and learning from an old master professor,” Harmer said. “There is enough weirdness in this industry and enough weird people that it’s a testament that he’s a normal guy. He’s maintained his health and his sanity and continued to make great music — never lose sight of that.”
Death Cab for Cutie plays Sunday at 8 p.m. at the Grand Sierra Resort. Ra Ra Riot opens the show. Get yout ticket here.
