Death Cab For Cutie

Something About Airplanes (Barsuk)

By Erica Phillips
Published: November 29th, 2008 | 9:00am

For the most keenly devoted Death Cab fan who has yet to get her hands on their very first album, Something About Airplanes (hmm … all two of you?), Barsuk Records is poised to re-release a special 10-year anniversary edition this month. Along with new artwork and liner notes, the band’s original indie label is including a bonus recording of DCFC’s first live show at the Crocodile Café in Seattle. So if you happen to be inclined toward amassing and revering the canon of Seattle’s musical history, this dual-disc set is probably a must-have.

The album is decidedly one that was written and produced by a group of college guys. It’s heavy with distorted guitar and stringy instrumentation, and Ben Gibbard’s voice strains across the compositions with an understandable early-twenties whine. But the ever-loveable made-from-scratch indie goodness is there in the form of spunky repurposed audio on “Amputations” (think bird noises and random recorded speech) and ballad-like tracks that hint at what’s to come.

Early on, Death Cab was compared closely to Built To Spill, but over a decade and several identity building side projects, the band has fleshed out their signature melodious vocals, creepy lyrics, and assorted electric instrumentation. Side by side, Something About Airplanes and Narrow Stairs (released earlier this year) present a marked contrast that will endear Death Cab to your heart — although a quick visit with You Can Play These Songs With Chords and a couple run-throughs of Transatlanticism and Plans would be necessary to achieve the full-on band-crush effect.

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