New Death Cab For Cutie - "My Mirror Speaks" (Stereogum Premiere)
So far we've unwrapped the The Open Door EP's first two tracks, which have been surprisingly mood-spanning: from happy-strummed blues to a slow-strummed pity party. They're good songs -- some of you think the set so far is beating its parent LP -- but if there's been a complaint, it's been that strumming; too much strumming, not enough old Photo Album styled riffing and guitar countermelodies. Right on queue, try out "My Mirror Speaks": It's not a full blown return to the sort of contrapunctal Gibbardisms of the past, but it's a step toward that side, guitar lines mimicking Ben's melodies, stums down to a minimum. Nick Harmer co-wrote this one with BG, if you're looking for someone to credit with this one's rhythmic punchiness.
The Open Door EP is available digitally on 3/31, physical release to follow, via Atlantic. You'll be able to buy it on deathcabforcutie.com or pre-order now at iTunes.
The songs:
01 "Little Bribes"
02 "A Diamond And A Tether"
03 "My Mirror Speaks"
04 "I Was Once a Loyal Lover"
05 "Talking Bird" (demo)
The tour dates:
04/05 - Toronto, Ontario @ The Sound Academy
04/07 - Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre *#
04/08 - Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall *#
04/09 - Davidson, NC @ John Belk Arena/Davidson College *#
04/10 - Louisville, KY @ Louisville Palace *#
04/11 - Memphis, TN @ Orpheum Theatre *#
04/12 - Tulsa, OK @ The Brady Theater *#
04/13 - Omaha, NE @ Holland Theatre *
04/15 - St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkings Auditorium *#
04/17 - Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom *#
04/18 - East Lansing, MI @ Breslin Events Center/Michigan State University *#
04/19 - Waukesha, WI @ Van Male Fieldhouse/Carroll College *#
04/22 - Bellingham, WA @ Mount Baker Theatre #
04/24 - Spokane, WA @ McCarthey Athletic Center/Gonzaga University *#
04/25 - Boise, ID @ The Morrison Center *#
04/27 - Sacramento, CA @ Memorial Auditorium *#
04/29 - La Jolla, CA @ RIMAC Arena/UC San Diego *
05/01 - Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall #!
05/02 - New Orleans, LA @ Contemporary Arts Center !
05/04 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium #!
05/05 - Birmingham, AL @ BJCC Concert Hall #!
05/06 - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre #!
05/07 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
07/05 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ^%
07/11 - Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre @#
07/14 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre @#
07/16 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ Pacific Coliseum %#
07/17 - Troutdale, Oregon @ Edgefield Amphitheatre %#
07/18 - Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Park %#
* with Cold War Kids
# with Ra Ra Riot
! with Matt Costa
^ with Tegan and Sara
% with New Pornographers
@ with Andrew Bird
[Photo by Gabriel Bouys for Getty]
Posted at 12:26 PM by amrit
Tags: Death Cab For Cutie
ANOTHER death cab premiere?? not complaining, but the 'gum and DCFC must be bff's or something.
also whatever happened to Stereogum's MP3 Friendly Deal of the Week on Amazon?
Score = 2
well it's a well known fact that death cab and stereogum are bff...death cab even wrote stereogum for a week or so.
Score = 3
i also like all these songs more than most of narrow stairs. i agree!! bring back the amazon mp3 deal of the week!!
Score = 1
stereogum, do this with built to spill and i'll allow you to pay me for sex
Score = 10
Amen!!!!!
Score = 0
AMAZING, loving the lyrics!
Score = 2
fuckin' A, best song yet.
This is so much better than Narrow Stairs, it's insane!
Loving this. I'm actually going to buy this, surprise surprise!
Score = 10
You're crazy. Narrow Stairs was brilliant. And this is the only decent track out of the three i've heard. There is a reason they are on a follow up EP and not the LP, b/c even Death Cab thinks these songs are not as good. But mainly I wanted to say Narrow Stairs was brilliant.
Score = 0
this is the best so far.
Score = 6
This is more like it.
Score = 7
Nice tune. Judging by the photo it looks like they would be more comfortable attending a Star Trek convention than the Grammys. It doesn't help that Ben has a "Spock 'n' Roll till I die" tattoo. Sorry.
Score = 1
I'm diggin. Hopefully their next album goes more in this direction.
Score = 2
sometimes i just wish death cab would just release the demos
Score = 7
this ep is shaping up to be much more along of the death cab i grew up knowing and loving... i'm so excited, this is making narrow stairs seem like a fluke (hopefully!)
Score = 3
I'm just happy to see Ra Ra Riot touring with a big name. Go to the shows early, they're brilliant!! (RIP John Pike)
Score = 2
once again better then narrow stairs
gj guys
Score = 3
wowwww. miles better than narrow stairs..and with just three songs. narrow stairs sounded so immature and thin compared to this song alone.
Score = 2
my favourite out of the three. absolutely. narrow stairs was too shitty for me to even attempt to grow on me. back to basics ben, and please, stop with the hair.
Score = 0
I don't care what anyone says, I really enjoyed Narrow Stairs and this EP is turning into something amazing very quickly. I can't deny how good this song is either. There's nothing like listening to the progression of a band through albums, but then again there's nothing like hearing something a little more like the good stuff that got me hooked to begin with.
Score = 8
Narrow Stairs was great and so are these.
Score = 5
when did the singer lose mad weight? what is going on...
Score = 0
now this one is awesome.
Score = 2
He lost the weight last year. I was so shocked when I saw them live and didn't recognise Ben at first. He looked unhealthily skinny, wish he'd put on a few pounds again!
As for this song, all I can say is thank god they haven't completely lost their songwriting ability. Narrow Stairs and the previous tracks on this EP are just dire and completely disappointing - this one has rekindled a little bit of hope for them.
Score = 0
it's no surprise to me that the bass player had a hand in writing the best song on this ep so far. i loved his work with the band juno and he continues to be one of the better players out there. he's also the most interesting to watch whenever i've seen death cab live.
Score = 1
I didn't like Narrow Stairs at all at first, but I do now. Every album they've put out has grown on me eventually. (I liked The Photo Album immediately. Plans took 2 years.) These songs are pretty awesome.
I don't think I'd want them to go back to their old style - not because it wasn't great listening, but because the evolution they've gone through over the years makes for a wonderful narrative. It's the story of the band!
That said, boy oh boy would it be nice if these guys actually talked to the audience during their shows. Before they got famous, they bantered with each other and the crowd fairly often, and it was a real treat. But when I saw them in Toronto last year, and Osaka this past February, we got little more than a "thank you" after every other song. It really makes the shows feel rushed and impersonal - like they would rather not be there.
I know that's not really related, but.. meh.
Score = 2
Please - play this live during your summer tour. If you only play it once...please play it in Berkeley at The Greek.
Score = 2
Why in the world are the durms so loud!? during the solo-esque part they're fun, but particularly in the beggining they're overwhelming. the same is true for "I was once a loyal lover". What was Walla thinking?
my hope is that the mp3 streaming is accenting the highs in a wierd way. looking forward to a quality version.
Poor production doesn't mean it's not a great song, I enjoyed it.
Score = -1
This one's my favorite of the four released so far, I think.
Score = 0
This song is the best to far, i didn't like diamond and a tether too much. it seemed not as fresh as usual.
BUT; people ARE forgetting that this is mostly just Ben's stuff.
This EP is the songs that are left over from narrow stairs, not a new thing.
So that would be why.. it's the same...
i like Plans better than Narrow Stairs, but NS was still a good album.
I'm not crazy about how the newer stuff is starting to all sound the same, i loved how everything else had its own original tune, it's own catch.
but this song, the lyrics are absolutely wonderful.
I like DCFC because Ben has a way of making the feeling of lonesome way more than you could actually imagine.
every time i go through something, there's a song for it.
This song is mine,
"cause i'm a man who hides, from all that binds, in a mess of fading lines."
that's unbelievable.
If i don't get to see them in Hollywood, i couldn't live with myself.
Score = 0
another decent track, full agreement about the punchiness, all that strumming was starting to do nails on the chalkboard. Thank you Stereogum for staying on good enough terms with this high-caliber band to get 3 song releases in a row. Music direct to fans. Rock!
Score = 0
Woa! Deathcab! Slow Down! You gotta stop throwin us curveballs! I mean, another boring and predictable tune?!??! Amazing how they keep coming up with those. That takes some gumption.
Score = 0
def better than the narrow stairs stuff, and better than the other ep releases. its in a different direction than narrow stairs...which is probably why it wasnt actually included in that album....
this sounds a lot more like their way early stuff with something about airplanes....im pretty psyched to see them with ra ra riot opening for sure.
Score = 0