Death Cab began as a solo project of Ben Gibbard, now the band's vocalist and guitarist. Gibbard took the band name from the satirical song Death Cab for Cutie, performed by The Bonzo Dog Band in The Beatles' 1967 experimental film Magical Mystery Tour. As Death Cab for Cutie, Gibbard released a cassette titled You Can Play These Songs with Chords; the release was surprisingly successful, and Gibbard decided to expand the band into a complete project. He recruited Chris Walla (who had also worked on the cassette) as an electric guitarist, Nick Harmer as bass guitarist, and Nathan Good to play drums.
The four released the LP Something About Airplanes on August 18th 1998. The album was favorably reviewed in the independent music scene, and in 2000 the band released We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes. Nathan Good left the band at some point during this album's production. His playing on “The Employment Pages” and “Company Calls Epilogue” were kept, but Gibbard played drums on all other songs.
Michael Schorr would first appear on The Forbidden Love E.P., released on October 24, 2000. In 2001, another LP was released, entitled The Photo Album. Limited editions of this album contained three bonus tracks, which were later released separately as The Stability EP.
In 2003, there was another change of drummer, with Jason McGerr of Eureka Farm replacing Schorr. McGerr would play drums on the next release, Transatlanticism.
Transatlanticism was released in October of 2003. It received critical praise and also became the band's top-selling album, with 225,000 copies sold during its first year out.
In spring of 2004, the band recorded a live E.P. titled The John Byrd E.P., named for their sound engineer. The E.P. was released on Barsuk Records in March 2004.
In November of 2004, Death Cab for Cutie signed a “long-term worldwide deal” with Atlantic Records, leaving their long-time label Barsuk Records. Gibbard stated on the official website www.deathcabforcutie.com that nothing would change except that “Next to the picture of Barsuk holding a 7", there will be the letter "A" on both the spine and back of our upcoming albums.” This was a marked change from Gibbard's earlier views on major-label relations, which he said “are set up to fuck you and take all your money.”. After signing to Atlantic, the band was still nervous about corporate economics, and encouraged fans to download its songs from the Internet.
The first and second singles off the band's Atlantic Record release Plans were “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth”, respectively. The full album was released in August of 2005. Plans was somewhat well-acclaimed by critics and fans, and received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album of 2005. It achieved Gold Status in 2006 after charting on Billboard for 47 consecutive weeks.
The band released a touring DVD titled Drive Well, Sleep Carefully in 2005. Known for their contributions to animal rights, the band is supporting the activist group PETA in giving away copies of the DVD to promote animal rights.
In early 2006, the band announced the upcoming release of Directions, eleven short films inspired by songs from the Plans album, each directed by a different person. The videos were posted one at a time at the band's website and the DVD went on sale April 11, 2006.
On May 12, 2008 their album, Narrow Stairs, was released and was well received by both critics and fans. It was their first album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200. The album contains the singles "I Will Possess Your Heart", "Cath..." and "Grapevine Fires".
The band's latest released The Open Door EP, which was released on March 31, 2009. Their main styles consist of slow progressive rock with dark lyrics.
The band's seventh album, Codes and Keys, was released on May 31, 2011. The album's first single was "You Are A Tourist".
On October 11, 2013, the band reportedly began working on their eighth studio album. This was then confirmed by the group's official Instagram profile in which an image was uploaded with the caption "DCFC LP8 begins". The new album will be produced by Rich Costey and is expected to be released in early 2015. In an interview with Stereogum, Gibbard said of the new album, "I do think from start to finish it's a much better record than Codes And Keys. If that record turned anybody off, I feel pretty strongly that this one could win them back. There are threads in this one that connect back to our earliest stuff that people love." On October 29, 2013, the band released a remastered tenth-anniversary version of their 2003 album Transatlanticism. The new album included a vinyl LP and MP3 download, with demos for all the songs from the album.
As part of the 2014 Record Store Day, the band released its first live album, a vinyl-only double LP recorded during various 2012 tour dates with Magik*Magik Orchestra. Included within the packaging was a code for a digital download of the recording.
On August 13, 2014, after 17 years as a member of Death Cab for Cutie, guitarist and songwriter Chris Walla decided to part ways with the band, with his last performance occurring on September 13, 2014 at the Rifflandia Music Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. Walla states that he plans to "...continue making music, producing records, and erring on the side of benevolence and beauty whenever possible." When asked in an interview about Walla's involvement in the eighth album, McGerr confirmed that Walla "played on everything and has been involved all the way through, even in the mixing. Even though he's played his last show with us, he's still been involved in everything involving this record."
05 Why You'd Want To Live Her
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the cabin and lights flickering at random.
I'm in Los Angeles today, garbage cans comprise the medians of freeways always
Creeping even when the population's sleeping.
And I can't see why you'd want to live here.
Breathing and he said "it varies from season to season, kid."
It's where our best are on display: motion picture actors' houses maps are never
Ever current so save your film and $15.
And I can't see why you'd want to live here.
Billboards reach past the tallest buildings,
"we are not perfect but we sure try."
As UV rays "degradate" our youth with time.
The vessel keeps pumping us through this entropic place in the belly of the
Beast that is californ-I-A, I drank from a faucet and I kept my receipts for
When the weigh me on my way out (here nothing is free).
The greyhounds keep coming dumping locusts into the street until the gutters
Overflow and Los Angeles thinks, "I might explode someday soon."
It's a lovely summer's day and I can almost see a skyline through a thickening
Shroud of egos. (is this the city of angeles or demons?)
Here the names are what remain: stars encapsulate the gold lame and they need
Constant cleaning for when the tourists begin salivating.
You can't swim in a town this shallow - you will most assuredly drown tomorrow.
The song "Why You'd Want to Live Here" by Death Cab for Cutie is a commentary on the dark side of Los Angeles. The lyrics paint a picture of a city that is polluted, overpopulated, and superficial. The lead singer, Ben Gibbard, who wrote the song, focuses on the negative aspects of the city and why it is difficult to understand why anyone would want to live there.
The song describes the smell of jet fuel that fills the air in Los Angeles, which is fitting since LAX is located in the middle of the city. It also touches on how the city is congested with garbage cans and how the population is always creeping, never truly at rest. Gibbard also mentions how even the gas station employees are affected by the pollution and how it varies depending on the season. The lyrics suggest that Los Angeles is not a city that promotes good health or clean living.
The song also comments on the excess of Los Angeles, with the motion picture actors' houses and ever-inaccurate maps. Gibbard complains about how everything in Los Angeles is expensive and how nothing is free, and how the city is shallow and not worth swimming in. The lyrics suggest that the city is full of people who are more interested in appearances than substance. Overall, the song presents a bleak, almost dystopian view of Los Angeles, portraying it as a place of pollution, excess, and superficiality.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm in Los Angeles today, it smells like an airport runway.
The air here is equivalent to the strong smell of jet fuel on an airport runway.
I'm in Los Angeles today, garbage cans comprise the medians of freeways always Creeping even when the population's sleeping.
The land that is the median between the highways is filled with garbage cans and is like always creeping with trash and pollution, even when the population is sleeping.
And I can't see why you'd want to live here.
The songwriter cannot understand why anyone would want to live in Los Angeles considering the conditions of the environment.
I'm in Los Angeles today, asked a gas station employee if he ever had trouble Breathing and he said "it varies from season to season, kid."
The song writer asked a gas station employee if he ever had trouble breathing and he said it varies from season to season for him.
It's where our best are on display: motion picture actors' houses maps are never Ever current so save your film and $15.
The best of the city is our various movie stars and their homes, but their maps are always outdated so it is not worth the effort, time, or money to find them.
And I can't see why you'd want to live here.
The songwriter cannot understand why anyone would want to live in Los Angeles given the situation.
Billboards reach past the tallest buildings, "we are not perfect but we sure try." As UV rays "degradate" our youth with time.
The city has a lot of billboards that are larger than many buildings on the street, always promoting the message that they are trying to improve. However, young people suffer in that environment due to the harmful effects of UV rays from sunlight.
The vessel keeps pumping us through this entropic place in the belly of the Beast that is californ-I-A, I drank from a faucet and I kept my receipts for When the weigh me on my way out (here nothing is free).
The songwriter describes Los Angeles as an unpredictable and uncomfortable place, like being in the belly of a beast. The writer drank the tap water but kept his receipts for when they weigh him when he leaves since everything is expensive in Los Angeles.
The greyhounds keep coming dumping locusts into the street until the gutters Overflow and Los Angeles thinks, "I might explode someday soon."
Greyhounds are coming and dumping bring the curse until the gutters overflow in Los Angeles causing concern for an explosion in the future.
It's a lovely summer's day and I can almost see a skyline through a thickening Shroud of egos. (is this the city of angeles or demons?)
Even on a lovely summer day, the songwriter still feels that Los Angeles comprises a thickening shroud of egos, and wonders whether this city is actually a place of demons.
Here the names are what remain: stars encapsulate the gold lame and they need Constant cleaning for when the tourists begin salivating.
In Los Angeles, it is the names of stars that matter, encapsulating the glamor of the city. The stars' surroundings can often become shabby, requiring frequent cleaning once tourists arrive.
You can't swim in a town this shallow - you will most assuredly drown tomorrow.
In a metaphorical sense, the songwriter believes that you cannot thrive in such a shallow city; rather, you will eventually suffer as a consequence.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Frank
on I Will Follow You Into The Dark
This song sucks