New Death Cab For Cutie - "Little Bribes" (Stereogum Premiere)
Ben Gibbard first started playing this track on his solo acoustic tour with David Bazan in '07. Then it was called "Casino Blues," and after hearing its shiny happy strum we said it "doesn't sound like Death Cab material per se, but [it's] a nice pick up for Gibbard die hards." The song's official release two years later fits that bill: "Little Bribes" is one of four new Death Cab songs from the Narrow Stairs sessions that didn't fit that record's vibe, now packaged together (along with a ukulele demo version of "Talking Bird") on the forthcoming The Open Door EP. Walla produced, Ben wrote the tunes (co-writing one with Nick Harmer), and that's the EP cover with some narrow stairs leading up to an open door. Clever girl, DCFC. We'll be posting one song from the EP each day this week, starting here:
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
Posted at 1:06 PM by amrit in Tour Dates
Tags: Death Cab For Cutie
Hooray!
Score = 9
Oh I like this a lot.
Score = 6
lame.
Score = -46
love it
Score = 4
this song is fantastic!
Score = 8
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Score = 6
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Score = -15
MAYYYYYYYBEEEEEEEEEE
Score = 1
Haha. I laugh at your shitty taste in music.
- Mr.T
P.S. Pity mail and negative comments are welcome foo.
P.S.S. I aint afraid of no monkeys!
Score = -32
interesting that he changed the lyric "quarter scale" to "smaller scale" definitely better the old way. Song is more interesting then anything on narrow stairs. The ending kind of sucks but o well.
Score = -6
i think it's atray
Score = 0
I miss Death Cabs more 'depressing' stuff as people would call it. Didn't like Narrow Stairs apart from Cath but this is quite good, i like the country/blues vibe its got going on.
Score = 10
they approach different subjects with melancholy (which usually turns into depressing subjects) and its easy to find it in any death cab piece.
Score = 0
you slackjawed zombies will eat up anything this band puts out. this song SUCKS.
Score = -29
FU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Score = 0
A nice change of pace from their usual stuff. It should be pretty rockin' in concert. (They need more songs to rock out to.)
Score = 1
i agree with bee, i miss their older stuff, wasn't a huge fan of narrow stairs (aside from grapevine fires, cath..., and the ice is getting thinner). transatlanticism was probably my favorite album, but i'm liking this song! here's hoping this ep will be more along the lines of the classic death cab i know and love!
Score = 1
This is really good. Not amazing or anything, but I think it's a nice choice to make a full band song out of it. I do hope, to some degree, that the next album will hearken back to Transatlanticism a bit more, but I also recognize that lightning rarely strikes twice in the same place, so I guess I just hope the next step will be something new and exciting that clicks just a bit better than Stairs. From the preview samples on amazon, the songs on the ep sound Stairs-y, but not in a bad way really. Looking forward to the rest of the week's songs.
Score = 1
I agree, Their narrow stairs album was a big disappointment...I miss the type of albums like the photo album, you can play these songs with chords, we have the facts and we're voting yes (those are my favorites) My second fav's are transatlanticism and plans.....narrow stairs didn't even make the list for me besides the song Cath, and i only really like the beginning intro to that song. :\ Oh well, no ones perfect! :]
Score = 3
What no NYC tour dates sup wit dat????
Score = 2
I agree, Their narrow stairs album was a big disappointment...I miss the type of albums like the photo album, you can play these songs with chords, we have the facts and we're voting yes (those are my favorites) My second fav's are transatlanticism and plans.....narrow stairs didn't even make the list for me besides the song Cath, and i only really like the beginning intro to that song. :\ Oh well, no ones perfect! :]
Score = -2
Absolutely love everything that comes out of this band...lyrics always entertain on a deeper level...bravo! This ep will join my collection...open your minds and feel this music. It will not disappoint. Guaranteed.
Score = 0
hahaha you noobz saying i like their old stuff i hope their next record is more like transatlanticism do not know anything about this band. the only things this band ever did that still matter are something about airplanes, we have the facts, and the forbidden love ep. oh and that all is full of love cover.
hahahaha
actually, i sort of really think what i just said, but i also do enjoy narrow stairs (minus i will possess your heart) a lot. bixby canyon bridge and cath... are the best things they've done in years.
Score = -9
I dig it.
Score = 3
i guess this is the question we all wanted answered.
how would the post zooey ben sound?
Score = 3
WHY ARE YOU NOT COMING TO NEW YORK CITY??????!!!!!!!
Score = 2
That cover art has some serious perspective issues.
Score = 2
this song confirms my recent suspicions that jason mcgerr is the most talented drummer in indie rock.
Score = 2
i agree that Jason is an awesome drummer. most everything he does is calculated and intentional and i love that. i do believe that all these folks who have posted have every right to their own opinion and just before i get too preachy i'll say, how bout stop bashing people's opinion...it's an opinion.
with that said i didn't care much for Narrow Stairs but i do not dislike it.
i think this song is a really interesting departure. i like it. however, i wouldn't really care for them to continue in this "feel" for lack of a better term.
Score = 3
I can't wait to see these guys in Atlanta!
Score = 0
Totally agree the Jason being incredible. I think some of my favourite stuff of his is on Tegan and Sara's "The Con"
Score = 2
nice! fresh sounds, little miss zooey's doing a good job with him
Score = 2
they should put in a repeat button for this one
Score = 3
I love it, I am going to buy 2 copys.
Cause my friend Tori loves DCFC.
:]
Great job.
Score = -1
this song is not good. I love death cab but this is garbage ad depressing to listen to...ever since plans they have not come out with much of anything good
Score = -4
the photo album, you can play these songs with chords, we have the facts and we're voting yes had a lot of good tracks, but the quality is is annoying and so are the political voices in the background, in a few of the tracks. transatalanticism was goo. but i love plans. and i dont have any problems w narow stairs. in order,for me,; plans, transatlanticism, the photo album and n.s are in a draw and the rest all equal.
Score = 1
oh i'm sooo... indy and cool! i only like a bands old albums and "more depressing stuff", too!
now tell me how that is an orginal idea and concept.
bands have progession, just like all music does. if you are truly a fan of the band, you would appriciate the music they work hard on. DCFC is one of the last working bands of our generation. try to understand who they are now, and that will help you have a new respect for where they came from and other albums they have worked on.
Score = 2
Yes, I should just force myself to love everything a band puts out, no matter how much I dislike it, because that's what good fans do. Thanks for the clarity, Kyle.
Score = 1
kemi, you should probably reread my comment. i never said,"...I should just force myself to love everything a band puts out...".
if you need clarification on my statement, i would be happy to. what i am trying to get across is, if you don't appriciate the band, don't listen to them. further more, if you aren't a fan of the band (not just what they've done in the past, but the band as a whole), then why critique it? not that negative critism is a wrong or bad thing, if you are trying to be constructful. just saying something like,"these guys suck!" or "why don't they play more stuff like there old stuff!", isn't being very constructful. therefor, not very useful.
thanks for asking me to clarify!
Score = 0
Amazing. As always.
Score = 1
NOOOOO!
Score = 0
this is the same song as yesterday. wasn't there suppose to be a new song today?
Score = 0
i appreciate every song deathcab has released, and am super pumped for this EP.
love the song boys, keep it up!
See you in T.O and Michigan! <3
Score = 1
WHERES THE NEW SONG?!?!? Get with it Stereogum...the day is 1/2 over.
Score = 0
fairly excited for this; i don't expect it to be phenomenal but another fix of death cab can't do a guy any harm :) i think narrow stairs gets a bit too much stick, it's far more of a grower than anything they had released previously and probably isn't up to trans, TPA or SAA in terms of quality, but given a bit of time it's as good as Plans at the very least. track is pleasant, doesn't affect me much but i think from the amazon previews that will not be the case with the whole EP. can't wait for it :D
Score = 0
I'm not a huge fan of the band, but this is pretty good. Diggin' it.
Score = -1
reminds me of spoon from the spazzy guitar solo to the "come ons"
Score = 0
lyrics remind me a little of the new conor oberst stuff, which is a good thing
Score = -1
@zim: it does suck indeed. Pity. I recommend Sloan in this genre. Way better.
Score = 1
Come on DC, no NYC show? Have it indoors and we won't rain you out this time !
Score = 0
listen to transatlanticism and everything they released before it. that's their best shit.
Score = 0
This is unbelievably amazing. This makes me want to dance around in the street. (:
Score = 0
I think is songs are going to be happier since his broken heart are past and hes getting married but its still some good attracting music:P
Score = -1
That ain't no ordinary open door. This is a straight-up drawing of folding attic stairs. Didn't anybody else have this in their house? Pull string, the stairs creak down with the sound of stubborn uncoiling metal springs, dust falls, and you go up into the darkness to find where that dead squirrel stench is coming from. Good times.
Score = 0
IS YOU MISTAH TYBERG!?!?!?!
SEA MONKEYS IS COMING YOU DON'T KNOW WHATCHOO GOT YOSELF INTO
Score = 0