Laura Stanley
Contributor
Electronic sounds, minimal guitar work, and positive lyrics are not characteristics that describe a typical Death Cab For Cutie record. Yet the seventh album from the Bellingham, Washington quartet Codes and Keys has all of these elements and so much more.
Ben Gibbard, lead singer and guitarist; Chris Walla, guitarist and producer; Nick Harmer, bass; and Jason McGerr, on drums, continue to collectively expand, experiment, and take risks since their career-defining album, Transatlanticism, featuring songs like “The Sound of Settling” and “Title and Registration”. Thanks to its mention on The O.C., Transatlanticism propelled them to become one of indie rock’s most successful bands.
From the beginning of Codes, there is an immediate distancing from the typical Death Cab sound. The opening track, “Home Is A Fire,” features heavy production, an electronic beat, and distorted vocals almost reminiscent of Gibbard’s side project, The Postal Service.
Tracks like “Some Boys,” “Monday Morning,” and “Underneath the Sycamore” include the same lyrical catchiness expected from the band, but are paired with a fresh and rich-sounding musical accompaniment.
Opening with a memorable guitar lick, the first single “You Are a Tourist” is one of the strongest songs from Codes and Keys. In April, the group paired with filmmaker Tim Nackashi and created a live, single-take music video for the song. The video was groundbreaking (it was streamed live as it was shot), and it represented a bold move in attempting to bring back the popularity of music videos. The first song released from the new album, “You Are a Tourist” does a good job of summarizing the change happening within the band.
In contrast to most of Gibbard’s past lyrics, “Stay Young, Go Dancing”, is one of the happiest Death Cab songs to date. Gibbard, who recently became the envy of many after marrying actress and She & Him singer Zooey Deschanel, seems unable to hold back his feelings of love.
In this beautiful album closer, Gibbard expresses a different sentiment than usual, singing, “‘Cause when she sings I hear a symphony / And I’m swallowed in sound as it echoes through me / I’m renewed.”
Codes and Keys beautifully captures part of the sound evolution for the band and proves that Death Cab for Cutie is not afraid of change.
