Death Cab for Cutie Band • Page 13

True, they're one of the first bands I associated with seasons. Photo Album feels p underrated sometimes but I understand why, sandwiched where it is

 

I think Photo Album has Ben's best lyrics.

The biggest issue with it to me is the clipping/distortion in the recording -- they went more lo-fi for the earlier records so while they sounded muffled, the volumes were clean. Photo Album you can tell some of the guitars/bass are just being mashed by a compressor or otherwise getting fuzzy because Chris Walla at the time mixed songs loud, rather than starting soft and only turning things up.

(It's really awesome to me that you can hear Walla's mistakes and his improvement from album to album. DIY-recording bands are so cool.)

But the songwriting & musical detail on that album is primo. And it flows way better than FACTS imo, FACTS kind of loses me as a listener here and there, it's all good tunes but i tend to drift in and out of paying attention to it, whereas the storyline and diverse style from song to song on Photo Album keeps me engaged.

 

this band has SEVERAL great records

 

Agreed that it has some of his best lyrics, there's a bit of an edge to a lot of them that I think eventually got replaced with this wide eyed or more subdued narrative quality til later. I don't necessarily disagree with your criticism of Facts (if I'm interpreting it correctly) but I feel like part of that aimlessness that results in drifting in and out is part of what I like so much about it. When I focus in, it rewards my patience and always pays off. Irt the recording quality of Photo Album, I think I need to listen much closer, I noticed little things here and there but never really to the extent you mentioned. Probably cause I honed in on Ben's voice

 

I wish I understood most of this. Music production fascinates me but its completely over my head.

 

yeah over time he started removing himself personally and crafting a third-person narrative. Which made his lyrics more introspective, mentally, but like you said they lost the sarcasm and the bite and the personal saltiness that helps you really relate to Photo Album.

I definitely get in the mood for Facts still at times for sure. I love it while driving long distances especially. There are some albums you just want to lose track of yourself in. That's why I listen to Slowdive/Ride haha

 

Well basically, the more you're ADDING unnecessary loudness to something, the more you're adding static and noise because that artificial volume boost is coming from the equipment, not the actual instruments. So it can affect the way the recording sounds, make guitars sound less natural. Less detailed/shaped, more fuzzy and one-dimensional and smashed together sounding.

I've learned over time trying to self-record (I'm barely capable, still pretty amateur) that you want your first recordings as quiet and clean as possible while you shape how they sound, you'll get less of that "crushed" sounding guitar and drums, and more authentic, 3-dimensional, being-in-the-room sound that way.

If you ever hear a musician or recording guy say the word "headroom", what they mean is, the amount of volume they can work with before the sound starts getting distorted and warped. Walla didn't allow himself enough headroom in the recording process of Photo Album... and it made the louder guitar parts sound smushy, and took some of that nice "crack" away from the drum set, and the cymbals have a really harsh "PSHHH" and not very sizzly, and sometimes when Ben sings the letter "S" it sounds unnatural, etc.

not trying to trash the album, these are kind of nitpicky things. It's a mostly good sounding record and nothing is flawed enough to take away from the songwriting... it's endearing to hear albums that are fuzzy and muffled sometimes instead of always being robotically perfect

 

Call me an asshole, but I'd argue Walla got too good as an engineer/producer. To me, Facts is their best sounding album - it's like, mid-fi, which suits the songs incredibly well. His greater skills (and the band's bigger budget) are really to their detriment starting with Plans, where the additional sheen is almost too much for my tastes. Crushed drums and smeary guitars just really worked them I think. It's especially noticeable on Gibbard's vocals, which are a perfect match for the intimacy of home recording but arguably don't hold up through a $10,000 channel strip.

I've never really considered Photo to be a major misstep production wise, to be honest. (and I hope I don't start noticing any crazy clipping haha.) That signature way too compressed snare sound that's technically "wrong" sounds awesome on all their Barsuk material imo.

 

I think Plans and Narrow Stairs sound fuckin great haha and the layers of guitars and tones he crafts, as well as his ability to create ambient background noise. And that PERFECT melodic bass that functions as a second guitar part rather than a low hum.... really to me his later work is polished in a GOOD WAY and doesn't ever sound fake, or make Death Cab sound like a cookie cutter band.

Ben is still Ben, he just takes bigger breaths to get stronger / less feeble notes out, and is more deliberate with his inflection rather than timidly whispering the lyrics, as any singer would do after 10 years experience. I feel like a lot of people criticize the confident change in vocal sound, because they liked that they could hear his social anxiety in the music, but that's not fair because literally by all technical means he's a better singer, and singing how a vocal coach would tell him to sing. Sure, maybe it reveals that he sounds kind of nasal, where the softer singing would hide that flaw... but at some point every singer needs to stop pretending and just embrace what THEIR voice is like.

They still use G&L guitars and astonishingly twangy sounding archtops through ooooold ass amps with rare tubes, and have an unmatched guitar sound.

As much as I agree that lo-fi is endearing, I can't agree that DCFC lost something when Walla got more detailed with his production. They stayed unique, and the albums went from bedroom indie you can play from your phone, to luscious soundscapes that are awesome on headphones & high quality sound systems. If anything, their later songwriting isn't quite as good as Trans/Photo, but the increase in texture and detail makes up for it and makes the music just as exciting.

 

Photo is my fav album by them, then strangely enough Plans. I think I prefer Ben’s older lyrical style that’s more first-person / autobiographical, but doesn’t mean the later stuff doesn’t resonate with me. What did yall think of Ben’s newest solo effort/cover album?

 

Plans is my fav.

 

I think that is why Narrow Stairs took me awhile to appreciate, he really dives deep into song long analogies/metaphors and it just doesn't do it as much for me.

 

Yes, agreed on the lyrics, but musically the album is so completely baller that I liked it immediately

 

I'm also partial to Plans, as this was the era I really became a fan. But backtracking I can see that Transatlanticism is their finest effort for sure. All others have been varying amounts of enjoyment and "meh".

Oddly enough DCFC were the first band I ever downloaded songs from on Limewire. That's how I first heard "Passenger Seat". My first illegal downloads ever, used on a band I'd only heard were popular, and I'm still listening 15 years later, neat

 

Yeah, I've def considered whether I'm projecting given that I just don't get quite as down with the songwriting on the later albums. Probably a little of both if I'm being fair.

Great point about the basslines. Such a huge part of their sound, and definitely a contributing factor in making them stand out.

 

There’s a weird thing going on in the left ear of Transatlanticism at like 6:40 where it just kinda cuts out for a second and now that I noticed it it’s gonna bother me forever.

 

R u sure it's not just yr copy? I'm afraid to check mine lol

 

Damn. I just heard in on the Spotify version. I think I’ve noticed it before but always just thought it was my music player or equipment.

 

I thought it could maybe have been that, but it was Apple Music so I was skeptical, and I went to YouTube to check and heard it there.

 

The album is completely ruined now, I’ll never play it again!!

 

I’m so sorry

 

fucks sake Narrow Stairs is so mfing good haha. i'm chuckling out loud simultaneously at both how well this record is put together and how stupid i am for never listening to it before

 

i am having quite an emotional reaction to this record okay wow. "Cath..." floored me

 

"the longer you think, the less you know what to do" fuck me up, Ben

 

I listened to that album for the first time in a while the other day and yeah it's real good.