This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply. Ben Gibbard sat down with Noisey to rank Death Cab for Cutie albums: In writing this album, we had this big blowout with Chris in October of 2001 and we got home from that tour and realized we needed a break. We needed to take time and do some other stuff, and we did. I had a lot of time to write. I know for a fact I will never have a year again like 2003. The Postal Service record came out, Transatlanticism came out. These two records will be on my tombstone, and I’m totally fine with that. I’ve never had a more creatively inspired year, and the proof is in the pudding. Expand - View Original
I’m surprised to see Plans at 4, but I completely understand how it wound up there in his mind. Also, “Someday You Will Be Loved” has always been a song that never sat particularly right with me... I feel validated hearing he doesn’t even like it. Hahaha
Pretty close to the ranking I would do. Plans would be number 2 for me because of nostalgia and my love for "Marching Bands of Manhattan" haha
Same. I get how it sounds very stripped down, and he feels like some of the songs are "undercooked". Maybe that's part of why I enjoy it.
Interesting to see him rank them that way. Personally I enjoy every album of theirs and I even really enjoy Codes and Keys. I found it most interesting that he said he only now feels like he is getting back to where he wants to be lyrically, somewhere he clearly doesn't feel he has been since Narrow Stairs at least.
I still think Codes and Keys is highly underrated. I also wish he spoke more on why Kintsugi was low on the rankings.
Very interesting read, also similar to how I would rank them. 8. Codes and Keys 7. Kintsugi 6. Narrow Stairs 5. The Photo Album 4. Something About Airplanes 3. Plans 2. We Have The Facts 1. Transatlantiscm Only reason I put Narrow Stairs so low is because I’ve only listened to it all the way through like twice.
Please do myself and yourself a favor. Listen to it all the way through again. Narrow Stairs is phenomenal.
Postal Service & Transantlanticism back to back is almost as incredible as the back to back combo of What Sarah Said into Brothers on a Hotel Bed.
Narrow Stairs is great. Just listened to it last week for the first time in awhile and forgot how every track is a stand out.
Death Cab For Cutie singer says emo was just "pop-punkers who heard 'Pinkerton'" "It’s like they were into NOFX and then heard Pinkerton and were like, ‘Oh man, I got feelings! I’m a suburban white kid but I don’t really have the intellectual capacity to express these feelings in an interesting way so I’m going to speak about them in the most straightforward manner possible.'”
this is the best pull quote of all time and i want to print it out and give it to every mediocre emo dude musician
Hmm...I think he's being unnecessarily harsh about it. Even if he has some solid points, his attitude about it rubs me the wrong way.
i feel like some of the dudes that fall under this criticism desperately need to hear it tbh but agree to disagree!