Death Cab for Cutie

Item: Transatlanticism
Author: Mike Leech

Transatlanticism

(2003)

Reviewed by Mike Leech

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Label Barsuk RecordsDecapolisApril 2004

emo indie pop indie rock

In the indie rock world of today they don't come much bigger than Ben Gibbard and his adorable little taxi of death. Transatlanticism finds Gibbard & Co. a mere pickaxe hold away from the peak of their musical game. Death Cab has never sounded as captivating, charismatic and charming as they do on this incredibly intimate release.

The album starts off strong with the infectious arena rock anthem, "The New Year", before doing a complete 180 with "Lightness", a low-rumbling dirge full of murky atmospherics and ambiguously dark lyrics. "Expo '86" is another early highlight displaying Death Cab at their poppy best. Unfortunately "The Sound of Settling" immediately follows providing stark contrast in terms of pop sensibilities. It may be 'just plain fun' but, unlike "Expo '86", it's also just plain cheesy. From here on the album takes a quieter, more introspective turn. The hauntingly serene "Tiny Vessels" showcases the type of unabashedly honest lyrics that made us all fall in love with Gibbard in the first place. "Transatlanticism" starts off well enough, but nearly eight minutes later its overly sentimental and tacky, cinematic tone gets a little tiring.

The final four tracks on the album are easily the best. The unbelievably gorgeous "Passenger Seat" is practically worth the price of admission by itself. "Death of an Interior Decorator" is of comparable quality and twice as catchy. "We Looked Like Giants" proves that Death Cab still knows how to rock, while the delightfully simple acoustic closing track "A Lack of Color" comes off like an extremely competent rendition of an Elliott Smith B-side. This song also contains one of the most exquisite explanations of the inverting retinal refraction process that I've ever heard put to music (if you know what I mean).

This is not Death Cab for Cutie's OK Computer. Though Transatlanticism contains some of these indie pop darlings' finest songs to date, it is not without its flaws. All things considered, however, it is easily one of the better albums to come out last year. It might even be worth actually paying money for... Man, that's terrible! File sharing sucks.

3/4