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."
Company Calls Epilogue
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm dressed up for free drinks and family greetings
On your wedding, your wedding, your wedding date.
The figures in plastic on the wedding cake that I took were so real.
And I kept a distance, the complications cloud
The postcards and blip through fiber optics,
As the girls with pigtails were running from little boys wearing bowties
Crashing through the parlor doors, what was your first reaction?
Screaming, drunk, disorderly, I'll tell you mine.
You were the one, but I can't spit it out when the date's been set.
The white routine to be ingested inaccurately.
Synapse to synapse, the sneaky kids had attached
Beer cans to the bumper so they could drive
Up and down the main drag.
People would turn to see who's making the racket.
It's not the first time.
When they lay down the fish will swim upstream
And I'll contest, but they won't listen
When the casualty rate's near 100 percent,
And there isn't a pension for second best or for hardly moving
Crashing through the parlor doors, what was your first reaction?
Screaming, drunk, disorderly, I'll tell you mine.
You were the one, but I can't spit it out when the date's been set.
The white routine to be ingested inaccurately.
You were the one, but I can't spit it out when the date's been set.
The white routine to be ingested inaccurately.
You were the one, but I can't spit it out when the date's been set.
The white routine to be ingested inaccurately.
"Company Calls Epilogue" by Death Cab for Cutie tells the story of a man who is attending his ex-girlfriend's wedding. The first two lines of the song suggest that the man is struggling with the possibility of a future with his ex-girlfriend being thin or unlikely, synapse to synapse. He is dressed up for free drinks and family greetings but feels out of place at the wedding. He admires the plastic figures on the wedding cake and is reminded of the reality of the situation. He is keeping his distance from his ex-girlfriend, perhaps because of the complications that led their relationship to end in the first place. He reminisces about the childhood love and the boys with bowties chasing girls with pigtails.
The song uses crashing through the parlor doors as a metaphor for the truth being revealed or coming out. The man is drunk and disorderly, and he can't spit out his confession that he still has feelings for the bride. He is stuck in a white routine, perhaps referring to the traditional expectations of marriage and the fear of taking a chance to change it. The song ends with the repetition of the confession that he cannot reveal his true feelings.
Overall, "Company Calls Epilogue" speaks about the loss of love, the struggle to move on, and the fear of expressing true feelings. The song paints a picture of a man who is trapped in the past, afraid to ruin the present, and uncertain of the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Synapse to synapse, the possibility's thin.
The chances of us being together are slim.
I'm dressed up for free drinks and family greetings On your wedding, your wedding, your wedding date.
I am attending your wedding just for free drinks, family interactions, and essentially for the party atmosphere.
The figures in plastic on the wedding cake that I took were so real.
The figures on the cake were so precisely detailed that it felt very realistic to me.
And I kept a distance, the complications cloud The postcards and blip through fiber optics,
I kept my distance from you because of the problems that have arisen between us. Even though we communicate through phone and electronic mail, we have lost that intimacy which a personal conversation offers.
As the girls with pigtails were running from little boys wearing bowties Their parents bought and 'I'll catch you this time!'
Reflecting on the scene I saw, I realized how carefree and naive children are. Their little games of tag demonstrate a freedom and simplicity that we as adults can envy.
Crashing through the parlor doors, what was your first reaction? Screaming, drunk, disorderly, I'll tell you mine.
When we were at the party and things got chaotic, I reacted in a drunken, messy way. Can you share your reaction with me too?
You were the one, but I can't spit it out when the date's been set. The white routine to be ingested inaccurately.
I realized that you were the one I wanted to be with but I never expressed it to you. Now that your wedding date has been set, I am internalizing my feelings and accepting the consequences of our miscommunication.
Synapse to synapse, the sneaky kids had attached Beer cans to the bumper so they could drive Up and down the main drag. People would turn to see who's making the racket. It's not the first time.
Memories of high school boys revving their cars as they sped through the streets came back to me. I am reminded that this is an age-old game of attention, the desire to be seen is primal.
When they lay down the fish will swim upstream And I'll contest, but they won't listen When the casualty rate's near 100 percent, And there isn't a pension for second best or for hardly moving
When it seems everyone is going in the wrong direction, it's hard to stand up and go the opposite way. The risk of failure is high, making it difficult for people to listen to your opinions and take you seriously.
You were the one, but I can't spit it out when the date's been set. The white routine to be ingested inaccurately.
Once again, I am reminded that I didn't communicate my feelings for you in time. I am now accepting that I will need to move on and ingest the reality of this situation.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kitty Katt
This is my favorite death cab song without a doubt. I believe it is their most richly emotional song. Truly epic.
Jared Sullivan
First time I heard it. I said THIS
Nelson3300
Slowcore bro!
gg_nugu
Man, when I was younger, I went through a terrible break-up one fall. I remember the days that were just getting darker and colder, and no "break up song" I knew was real enough to portray how I felt. But this was the closest thing, the way it expressed the hopelessness, vague humiliation, and the real pain of having someone just destroy your heart, and a lot of your sanity, too. I would pour my emotions into this song every day and cling to the lyrics. Honestly, I don't know if it helped me, or made it worse.
motsybattlebot
Oh man....I literally feel the same way about this song, having gone through a very rough break up last year, and still recovering(still want her back), your comment nails it.
Josie
Sarah Schulz I haven't been through any break-up ever. I still love this song, though. Ben's lyrics really invoke empathy with me. I'm not trying to say I completely understand what it feels like, but this song really makes you feel, whether you can personally relate to it or not.
Aaron Chapman
I feel you, I think it makes it worse though. Can be weirdly comforting but listening to stuff like this constantly just prolongs misery in the long run IMO
Gorham Bonjour
Aaron Chapman my ex of 3 years dumped me a few months back, death cab is the only thing that helps me see that its all just a growing experience and time heals all.
mrw21
Ben Gibbard is a f***in genius. Take away the beautiful, anthemic music of many of his best songs and you're still left with some of the best American poetry written in our generation.
pepperSnakes
yeah now that dark quality isn’t so present, and i don’t like death cab at all anymore. this early stuff is all i listen to.