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."
Blackin Out the Friction
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got scarves and caps and sweaters
I've got long johns under slacks for blustery days.
I think that it's brainless to assume that making changes to your window's view
Will give a new perspective.
And the hardest part is yet to come
I don't mind restrictions or if you're blacking out the friction
It's just an escape (it's overrated anyways)
The hardest part is yet to come
When you will cross the country alone.
The song Blacking Out the Friction by Death Cab for Cutie touches on the theme of change and how it affects us. The opening lines set the scene for a cold and blustery day, but the singer is unfazed by the weather as they have scarves, caps, sweaters, and long johns to keep them warm. However, the following lines are insightful, as they suggest that making changes to your environment, such as altering your window view, won't necessarily lead to a new perspective. The idea that true change must come from within is a common theme in the band's music.
The chorus touches on the idea of emotional escapism, whether that be through restrictions or "blacking out the friction" - a phrase that could be interpreted in many ways. The idea that we sometimes need to numb ourselves to escape our problems is further reinforced with the line "it's just an escape (it's overrated anyways)."
The final lines are particularly haunting as they convey a sense of loneliness and apprehension about an uncertain future. The singer acknowledges that the hardest part is yet to come - a moment when they'll be forced to make a significant change by crossing the country alone. This could be interpreted as a metaphorical journey, a physical journey, or both.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't mind the weather
I am not bothered by the atmospheric conditions
I've got scarves and caps and sweaters
I have different kinds of warm garments to protect myself from cold
I've got long johns under slacks for blustery days
I even wear thermal underwear to keep me warm in severely cold weather conditions
I think that it's brainless to assume that making changes to your window's view
Will give a new perspective
I believe that it's foolish to think that changing the image outside your window will bring about a fresh outlook on life
And the hardest part is yet to come
The most challenging phase is still to arrive
I don't mind restrictions or if you're blacking out the friction
I am okay with limitations or even if you choose to avoid conflicts
It's just an escape (it's overrated anyways)
It's only an evasion tactic which is highly overrated
The hardest part is yet to come
When you will cross the country alone
The most trying part is when you will have to travel across the nation by yourself.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@samal3196
I don't mind the weather
I've got scarves and caps and sweaters
I've got long johns under slacks for blustery days.
I think that it's brainless to assume that making changes to your window's view
Will give a new perspective.
And the hardest part is yet to come
I don't mind restrictions or if you're blacking out the friction
It's just an escape (it's overrated anyways)
The hardest part is yet to come
When you will cross the country alone.
@kevinhauser8250
Been my favorite band for decades. They play stories not songs. They play together beautifully. This IS MUSIC PERIOD.
@remardspeccolownie981
Cool explanation
@Thanatos138
Agreed and same here loved this band from the very first time I heard them. And they do play and sound so good together!
@alanmidgett9228
Then get some music tampons
@dbell9571
First saw them in 2006 in Boston....awesome group.
@youtubeyoutubeyoutube9961
I love this song and surprised it's not everyones favorite. I wish they'd play it live more often.
@rvensvideoer4204
This song and 'I was a Kaleidoscope' are two of the bet death cab songs there are, in my opinion
@andrews902
and title track, though they do play that often or at least they used to
@ConsciousRobot
My second favorite behind "We Laugh Indoors"
@Whatdoesthisboxdo
It's one of my favorites, I legit switched music streaming services because couldn't find it on Tidal, but then it wasn't on Amazon music either 😑
Update: Spotify has the whole album so Amazon music just got cancelled.😁