Narrow Stairs (studio album) by Death Cab For Cutie

From HoldenM 09/14/2023 00:30

What it lacks in the highs of earlier albums, Narrow Stairs makes up for by being one of the band's most cohesive records yet. Gone is the heartache and tribulations of young adulthood. In place of that is something darker and more existential. We will never understand those who we most admire. We obsess over loves that will never be ours. We are constantly changing yet never evolving. Telling that the most optimistic song on the record is about our own persistence in the face of the Earth destroying itself. And it does make a certain kind of sense. At this point, Death Cab has conquered indie rock. They're Grammy-nominated, playing SNL, headlining shows and festivals. What left is there except entropy?

That's my favortite DCFC album because it makes sense. All the songs just fit together nicely in an overall feel that I really enjoy. This is kind of a minimalist album, the songs are simple yet very well crafted. The mix is top notch. There's no filler in this one!

From Brad1770 05/21/2018 05:37

Having recently dug 'Plans' I'm on a mission to discover more DCFC catalogue , and thus 'Narrow Stairs'

Unfortunately it didn't have the pop hooks I loved in 'Plans'plus it lacks one or two killer tracks , most are ok to good whilst "No Sunlight" , "Your New King-sized Bed" ,
"Long Division" and "Pity and Fear" are below par IMO

Ending this review and album on a high is closer "The Ice Is Getting Thinner" easily the stand out track here & well worth sticking around for

This album is not terrible by any stretch , its just ok

50/100

The arrangements are well thought out, particularly the duel guitars, and the production is a great example of analogue done right, warm while still retaining clarity and separation. Death Cab are a much better band than people give them credit for and this is their most consistent and varied album.

Death Cab balances on a bittersweet wire. Their previous two efforts leaned towards sweet. Narrow Stairs leans towards bitter.

It sounds claustrophobic and close. Probably intentional given the album's title.

It is consistently good and I will Possess Your Heart is the best creeper song I have ever heard. And one of Death Cab's best.

Bixby Canyon, Grapevine Fires, Twin Sized Bed, and Cath are the other highlights.

The rest of this is good but less accessible than their previous two efforts more in tone than anything else.

The wonder, awe, and possibilities of life in our 20's get replaced with darker themes as we age. Cynicism, reality, and fear of our coming expiration and the regrets of our choices linger as we learn to live and move forward with them. This rears its head on Narrow Stairs making it less accessible if listeners are used to Plans and Transatlanticism's boyish whimsy.

Some of the most essential, well-conceived material in the Death Cab catalog.

The one thing about Narrow Stairs. Is that if you fall you won't fall too far. I can dig it.

"Narrow Stairs" has some really great songs on it, some good or decent songs on it, and just one or two songs that can be a chore to listen to from time to time. The album is full of homages and references to other music like Wilco and The Beach Boys that come across as nice homages and nods, but they never really make the album better. Songs like "Cath" and "Twin Sized Bed" are the real champions of the album while songs like "You Can Do Better Than Me" and "The Ice is Getting Thinner" are as drawn out as their titles and don't provide the emotional heavy lifting they were supposed to. I like this album and listen to it quite a bit, but I could never call it great.

From pearljammer13 12/14/2012 21:29

I'm really starting to love this album. There are a few songs that don't do it for me, but most of the album is really great. Your New Twin Sized Bed is the catchiest depressing song I've ever heard. Grapevine Fires is fantastic, as is the opener Bixby Canyon Bridge. My two favorite are probably The Ice Is Getting Thinner, a stunning closer, and Cath... which is just a brilliant song all around.

From paladisiac 06/29/2012 13:03

If you were anywhere near old hipster "adult alternative" radio, then you heard i will possess your heart. As simplistic a song as it is, with its slow-build march and oft-repeated couplet chorus, it's pretty good. There's a frail beauty in its simplicity. This was the lead single and the best song off the album -- which never bodes well. Grapevine Fires and The Ice Is Getting Thinner are a couple other highlights, but this album just makes me pine for the days of "The Photo Album" which weaved lush, detailed, descriptive narrative throughout each song, pensive and plaintive and almost always intellectual.