The Sound of Settling: Death Cab Concert Review

I am sure we have all read the old fable Rip Van Winkle, whose protagonist Rip falls asleep in a field, to later wake up and discover that he has time traveled to a different place and a different time. I’m sure some fans of Death Cab lately have arrived at similar sensations lately, seeing the once regionally tied Northwestern band suddenly doing interviews in the USA Today and their new album Narrow Stairs debuting at number 1 on the billboard top 100 list.

To be fair, it wasn’t really the band’s fault to start with. The venue that Death Cab played at in Chicago is generally not an Indie band scene. Jay Spritzer Pavilion is an acoustically and aesthetically grand open air stage set in Millennium Park, right across the way from one of top tourist spots in Chicago, the Bean. The Pavilion allows for guest to come and spread out their blankets on the grassy promenade, whip out the Chardonnay and Whole Food’s Hummus or what not, and gaily listen to the sounds of whoever is playing on stage that night. With tickets priced at 10 dollars for the lawn seats, Chicago’s finest suburbians and local hipsters snatched up the tickets quicker then you can say “I-Pass” and told their friends and coworkers for weeks about how cool it was that the band they were going to see all of sudden had their songs on the radio and fancied themselves cultural for going to the park after work instead of home to watch “Dancing with the Stars”

Before I become hypocritical, everyone becomes a fan at some point. I began to like Death Cab after hearing “Photobooth” on one my brother’s mixes. In any occasion in life, there are very few people there in the beginning; probably less then 100 people saw Michael Jordan catch his first alley-oop pass, few probably read Robert Frost’s first poem, and no one remembers that Francis Ford Copolla thought Robert DeNiro was too ugly to be in the first Godfather. The point of this though isn’t to be the guy yelling “I was there! I saw them in ’93! I knew they were cool before you did!” (Interruption: Listen to LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge” for more on this sensation) No, the point is to look at its unattended effects, especially on our culture. People for the most part are bored, unhappy, and dissatisfied with their lives. Numerous studies show it, it’s even been a focal point of Barack Obama’s recent championing of the “Change” campaign in his election bid. Where does this come from? Crappy Jobs? People have had crappy jobs forever. I don’t think one of the dudes laying bricks for one of the Pyramids who died before it was ever finished probably thought his job was too sweet. There are obviously numerous explanations and theories, but I think at heart, people are not embracing things they truly enjoy. One of them is music. With record companies and radio shoving Nickelback down our throats, people lack choices. So the mainstream latches on to what is available to them.

This was on display at the concert on Tuesday night. With a vibe more reminiscent of a Cubs game, chattering, people watching, and gazing at the skyline all took precedence over the music. Odd sights were seen, such as two 50 year olds exuberantly dancing with each other to the song “Tiny Vessels”, a song about using a girl for her looks. It was also the first time a person with a baby perched on their shoulders blocked my view of the stage. Overall, there was a sense of confusion from the concertgoer , a sense of “What’s the big deal about this band?” and “Why isn’t he playing any of those Postal Service songs?” It was almost like watching someone play golf for the first time, duffing the ball all day, and wondering how this could be a fun game. This left the people who were true fans of the band and their music feeling like outsiders, a unique situation at a concert.

Which is all in all unfortunate for Death Cab, they deserve better then to continue to be hit with this onslaught of phony popularity they have been riding since their appearance on the O.C. Admittedly, their moving past their peak as a band judging by their old albums, but their new album Narrow Stairs, is a fine album. Tracks such as “Cath…” and “Grapevine Fires” are as good as any songs they have produced in their career. Hopefully they felt the vibe on stage themselves and will go back to playing in smaller venues and embrace the fans who helped them become the band they are today.

    Death Cab on Current

Current.com If you haven’t checked this site/TV Channel, get with it. It is an unbelievable array of content featuring mini pods, essentially user created content. Anything from sex, politics, music, the environment, war, etc., etc. Fascinating channel to give you inside look at many aspects of society and sub culture you never knew about.

This past week, they did a great Doc on Death Cab For Cutie. Really well done and highlights what a truly unique, talented, and inspiring group they are.

Enjoy

    Ben Gibbard in his own words

As Death Cab for Cutie’s new album Narrow Stairs drops in a few short weeks here on May 13, it amazes me to reflect on the fact that they released their first album You Can Play These Songs With Chords over ten years ago in 1997. The driving force behind the success of all the things Death Cab, is their front man Ben Gibbard and his perchant for songwriting. His broad career as lead singer in All Time Quarterback, vocals of the ever reaching Postal Service, and his anchoring of Death Cab have allowed us to enjoy his voice and songwriting in a variety of settings. Personally, the first indie album that I fully embraced was Death Cab’s We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes. The album is a song by song chronological story of a man who finds a lover and comes to realize that she actually is engaged to someone else, and the emotional complexities of seeing her marry the other man. Gibbard’s lyrics carry the listener through the complete arch of the relationship cycle; passion, betrayal, bitterness, and regret in a liberating and refreshing way.

This month’s Paste magazine ran a special self penned article on Ben Gibbard, giving the listener an insight into his song writing and motivations. It was a real treat if you enjoy his songs as much as I do….Enjoy

Paste Magazine Article

And check out Death Cab’s new video for “I Will Possess Your Heart”

    Indie In the Mainstream

So it’s long been the proverbial nightmare and/or kiss of death for a indie or underground band to be either endorsed by or endorsee of mainstream products. As soon as MTV, Billboard Top 10, or your mom starts talking up the new MGMT single, well, the band loses a bit of what made it so special. The sad reality of bands with largely hipster fanbases, is that while they will be your biggest supporter and proponent one minute, with a whiff of mainstreamosity, they can and often will turn their backs quicker than you can finish their album.

So why, then, the influx of Indie bands going mainstream? I speak particularly to TV commercials. Now we all know the ubiquitous Ipod ads, with everyone from Fiest to Wynton Marsalis to Cansei de Ser Sexy (P.S. Blatantly ripping off Zune’s

previous ad with the same song). But it doesn’t just stop at Ipod. With Madison Ave releasing a barrage of snide and

self-deprecating adverts, they’ve apparently deemed Indie music as the holy grail to reach the illusive 18-34 year old. And unfortunately, were not even just talking about about cutting edge products like Zune and Ipod. I’m talking:

*Click to see ad

Damien Rice - United Airlines

Death Cab for Cutie - UPS

Of Montreal - Outback Steakhouse

Damien Rice - M&M’s (same song, 2 commercials …sell out)

Griffin House - Rembrandt Toothpaste

Band of Horses - Ford

Wilco - Volkswagen

I mean the list goes on and on. What the hell is the deal! Where did the artists go who spit in the face of bland mainstream corporatization. Now to be fair, BOH did pull out of a deal with Wal-Mart (only, though, to move on to Ford shortly thereafter). I guess I have to assume that these bands weighed the costs / benefits to going mainstream, and somehow came to the conclusion that it was in their best interests. Maybe the thought of alienating your fan base now comes second to a fat paycheck in your wallet. They need to realize that they live in a music realm where their success is directly proportional to the positive word of mouth from their fans. The people that truly appreciate your music for what it is, where it came from, and what it means don’t often sit idly by to watch an artist sell-out.

I guess I can’t wholly complain, though. I do have to admit that some of these commercials border on decent, including BOH’s ‘The Funeral’ in the Ford Commercial. Its an amazing song, and personally I think it add’s something special to the piece. Griffin House’s commercial was even ranked the 12th most romantic commercial of all time by Playboy.

To me it just seems interesting; a genre dominated by big names, big budgets, and, more often than not, terrible music, has opened its arms (and vice versa) to indie musician’s. There may be something to say after all about Pop exposure, elevating these amazing bands from the kiddie pool and tossin ‘em in the deep end.

Maybe we’re nearing the end of the selfish propensity of every indie fan to hoard great new music and abhor their inevitable rise from obscurity. Maybe its finally time to share.

Thoughts?