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 āThe Employment Pagesā and āCompany Calls Epilogueā 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 ālong-term worldwide dealā 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 āNext to the picture of Barsuk holding a 7", there will be the letter "A" on both the spine and back of our upcoming albums.ā This was a marked change from Gibbard's earlier views on major-label relations, which he said āare set up to fuck you and take all your money.ā. 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 āSoul Meets Bodyā and āCrooked Teethā, 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."
Binary Sea
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world was so much smaller than
The one he used to hold before
But the weight it brought him to the floor
As you watched him struggle to his feet
You took photos capturing his defeat
And messaged them to all your friends
And we all laughed at his expense
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Oh come my love and swim with me
Out in this vast Binary Sea
Zeros and ones patterns appear
They'll prove to all that we were here
For if there is no document
We cannot build our monument
So look into the lens and I'll
Make sure this moment never dies
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Ooh ooh
Oh Atlas could not stay engaged
Was more distracted every day
You slowly fell into disarray
Just trying to think of something to say
For if there is no document
There cannot be a monument
So lean in close or lend an ear
There's something brilliant bound to happen here
The song "Binary Sea" by Death Cab for Cutie is a poignant reflection on the transience of life and the human need to capture and preserve moments in time. The lyrics start with a reference to Atlas, the Greek Titan who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. In the song, Atlas is unable to comprehend the smallness of the world he carries, and the weight of his burden brings him down to the ground. The singer describes how someone took photos of Atlas in his moment of defeat and shared them with friends, leading to cruel laughter at his expense. This action highlights the human tendency to document even the most challenging moments, sometimes for the sake of entertainment or social status.
The second half of the song shifts to a call to embrace the present and relish in the fleeting moments of life. The singer implores his lover to join him in the "Binary Sea", a metaphor for the digital world we live in, where everything is reduced to zeros and ones. The singer suggests that patterns in this digital world prove our existence, and we must create documents to build monuments that last beyond our lifetimes. The final lines of the song suggest that brilliance can arise from the chaos of life if we are present and engaged in the moment.
Overall, "Binary Sea" can be interpreted as a commentary on the human need to document and preserve memories in the face of impermanence. The song encourages listeners to be actively present in their lives and capture moments that matter to them, even as they acknowledge the transience of it all.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Atlas could not understand
Atlas, a symbol of knowledge and understanding, could not comprehend the world's smallness.
The world was so much smaller than
The world appeared smaller than Atlas was used to perceiving.
The one he used to hold before
The world he had previously held and knew was larger than the current one he sees.
But the weight it brought him to the floor
The new knowledge of the world's smallness overwhelmed Atlas, causing him to collapse.
As you watched him struggle to his feet
The artist and other character(s) present watched Atlas try to recover.
You took photos capturing his defeat
The character(s) with the singer took pictures of Atlas struggling and failing to understand.
And messaged them to all your friends
The pictures were sent to others.
And we all laughed at his expense
Everyone ridiculed Atlas for his lack of understanding, finding humor in his misfortune.
Oh come my love and swim with me
The artist invites their loved one to swim with them.
Out in this vast Binary Sea
The artist refers to the world in terms of binary code, inviting their loved one into a vast digital space.
Zeros and ones patterns appear
The digital world is made up of binary code consisting of zero and one patterns.
They'll prove to all that we were here
Creating digital documents of their experience will serve as proof of existence for future generations.
For if there is no document
Without documentation, there is no record of their existence.
We cannot build our monument
Without proof of existence, they cannot create a tangible monument to their time in the world.
So look into the lens and I'll
The singer prompts their loved one to look into the camera lens and they will create a document of their existence.
Make sure this moment never dies
They will create a digital document to ensure this moment in their lives is never lost or forgotten.
Oh Atlas could not stay engaged
Atlas could not remain focused or interested in the current world.
Was more distracted every day
Atlas became increasingly preoccupied and unfocused with each passing day.
You slowly fell into disarray
The singer's life began to fall apart.
Just trying to think of something to say
The artist struggled to find the words to express themselves.
There's something brilliant bound to happen here
Despite difficult circumstances, something amazing is going to come of their struggles.
Lyrics Ā© BMG Rights Management
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@magnusforsythe6059
"There's something brilliant bound to happen here"
What a beautiful line to end this beautiful album.
@cyberghoulz2328
This song is a memory. My dad would play the piano, and I would sing the song now. He's still alive, but somewhere else. Now I listen to this song in memory of him, and when my family was happy. Every time I hear this I cry, knowing that I won't see him again or maybe I will. Thank you for this song, I love it. Thank you
@mikaelaspencer9485
Gorgeous, Kintsugi is perfection and more than I had even hoped for. The lyrical genius of each piece, the craft of words, it's like listening to poetry. It connects to a part of the soul and mind that other music simply just doesn't. I'm amazed and overwhelmingly excited to memorize every last bit of this masterpiece of an album.Ā
@ellen7349
dcfc's lyrics still coming in clutch after 17 years.........
@dreamersheart3379
I think, the beauty of this entire album is just... mind blowing. Each song has it's own sense of thought-provoking dissonance that creates perfect harmony. And yet, when combined it personifies the very title of the album. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of fixing broken things by melding the pieces back together using gold. It is creating absolute beauty with broken things, which sums up life and humanity, and, consequently, this very album
@frankshell7562
This song has reached a portion of my mind that illuminates a vision that I am struggling to reach, My life has always consisted of zeros and ones, on and off, as my occupation consists of data, this is what I see every living day, this track really touches many bases in my life. Thanks for reading as I am a rare acquaintance in this lifetime.
@jathanclark
Thank YOU for writing!
@raffydeocampo3755
You don't have to thank us. You gave a really interesting insight.
@sammohseni100
I cannot believe how underrated this incredible album already is. Metacritic of 66 is such a travesty. But I don't care about ratings. This is an incredible album full of beautiful moments and this song perfectly sums up the album in an extremely beautiful way. Thank you, Death Cab for Cutie
@wanderinggypsy
I bought the album and received my package last week. I couldn't bring myself to listen to it. New Death Cab is a treasure, something to be savored. Running around, listening in snatches wouldn't do. I thought, maybe I'll ration it out. A new song every few weeks at just the right moment. Or maybe I'll wait and take a drive, just me and the music and the rolling empty road out of town.
Well, I guess doing chores in my new home was that moment. To all the "this album was better, no that album was better" types, I understand, but it's apples and oranges to me. This album is, just as the others were. Some songs pull at me more than others. I dig the growth in sound with the echos I catch to some of their older catalogue. And I know that over time these songs will grow from the simple initial understanding of their meaning to the intensely personal tributes to my own life that my favorite music always becomes.
All in all, thank you Death Cab for the new life soundtrack. Look forward to the next few years of playing these songs on repeat.