eath Cab for Cutie had a difficult task ahead of them. How would they follow the universally appreciated We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes? We Have the Facts had already established the group as an indierock powerhouse with a perfect blend of poppy grooves and a wonderful story, dealing with indie lovers and lots of awkwardness. How would the band react to their fame? Unfortunately, they reacted with a messy, slightly uncomfortable album.


It’s easy to see where Thegoes wrong. First, songsdrag on too long. ‘Information Travels Faster’ tacks on an unnecessary two minutes or so of fumbling piano, wobbly guitar and repeated chorus. Who needs to hear ‘Information travels faster/in the modern age/in the modern age’ again? The trademark Death Cab for Cutie tone begins to grate a bit, we all know the vocal scoops and the arpeggiated guitar lines by heart.


Some of these songs, though, are among the best Death Cab for Cutie has to offer. Opener ‘Steadier Footing’ is brilliant and succinct. The instrumentation hints towards a more open-minded horizon for the group. Though the Death Cabbers lean a bit to the emo side of things, they have always been able to keep it together, managing to push lyrics to just the other side of high school diary entries.


‘Why You’d Want to Live Here’ is another great song. Singer Ben Gibbard outlines the many reasons he wants his significant other to consider moving away from LA. The band moves along in great fashion, quoting some of the better indie groups with the clicking drums and wiggling guitars. The case he builds against his girlfriend staying is pretty devastating, but there’s a certain sadness in knowing that she’ll probably stay there. Overall, the tone is much like StephinMerritt’s ‘Come Back From San Fransisco’ though there are not as many forcedrhymes here.


Speaking of awkward lyrics, the refrain of ‘We Laugh Indoors’ is a bit on the painful side. The rest of the song doesn’t really work all of its changes as efficiently as it could have. The result is a bit of a mess, minute changes in rhythm and tempo stick out quite visibly. This is rather typical of the album,it seems that Death Cab for Cutie is trying to embrace more difficult and artsy arrangements, but they end up alienating the listener. Add to this the fact that the album has virtually no flow, and you have a sub-par album made by agood band.


The main reason for the album not being so great is it’s lack of cohesion. While Theis a sidestep from greater things, it showcasesthe diversity Death Cab for Cutie can pull off. Bumpy as the ride may be, the band gets away with some things that could have otherwise destroyed the album.