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."
Expo '86
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We slide from top to bottom and we turn and climb again
And it seems by the time that I have figured what it's worth
The squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse
But if I move my place in line, I'll lose
And I have waited, the anticipation's got me glued
I am waiting for familiar resolve
Sometimes it seems that I don't have the skills to recollect
The twists and turns of plot that turned us from lovers to friends
I'm thinking I should take that volume back up off the shelf
And crack it's weary spine and read to help remind myself
But if I move my place in line, I'll lose
And I have waited, the anticipation's got me glued
I am waiting for something to wrong
I am waiting for familiar resolve
I am waiting for another repeat
Another diet fed by crippling defeat
And I am waiting for that sense of relief
I am waiting for you to flee the scene
As if you held in your hand the smoking gun
And on the floor lay the one you said you loved
And it's strange
They're all basically the same
So I don't ask names anymore
Sometimes I think this cycle never ends
We slide from top to bottom and we turn and climb again
And it seems by the time that I have figured what it's worth
The squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse
The squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse
The squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse
The lyrics to Death Cab for Cutie’s Expo ‘86 convey feelings of frustration and anxiety about a repeating cycle that seems to be inescapable. The imagery of sliding from top to bottom and turning and climbing again paints a picture of cyclical patterns that lead nowhere. The singer feels stuck in this cycle, unable to move forward or escape.
The second verse suggests a failed romantic relationship that has turned into a friendship. The singer is struggling to remember the reasons why this shift occurred and turns to a book to help him recall. However, the anticipation of some unknown event has him “glued” to his spot in the cycle, unable to move forward without losing his place in line.
The chorus brings forth a sense of longing for something to be different, but at the same time, there is a resignation to accept the status quo. The singer seems to be waiting for something to go wrong, but at the same time, is also waiting for a sense of relief. The final lines are haunting: “And it’s strange/They’re all basically the same/So I don’t ask names anymore.” This implies a sense of detachment and resignation to a repetitive cycle, where everything has become indistinguishable and unmemorable.
Overall, Expo ‘86 conveys a sense of anxiety and disillusionment with cyclical patterns that lead nowhere. The singer longs for something to shift or for a sense of resolution, but there is also an acceptance of the sameness of everything.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I think this cycle never ends
I often feel like life goes in circles and we keep repeating the same patterns over and over again.
We slide from top to bottom and we turn and climb again
Life has its ups and downs, but we eventually find our way back to the top.
And it seems by the time that I have figured what it's worth
By the time I feel like I understand the value of something, it's already changed.
The squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse
Our relationship has deteriorated to the point where even physical contact is unpleasant.
But if I move my place in line, I'll lose
If I try to change things, I risk losing everything I've worked for so far.
And I have waited, the anticipation's got me glued
I'm stuck waiting for something to happen, and the uncertainty is holding me in place.
I am waiting for something to go wrong
I'm anxious about the possibility of things not going as planned.
I am waiting for familiar resolve
I'm hoping for a solution that I'm familiar with, rather than something completely unexpected.
Sometimes it seems that I don't have the skills to recollect
At times, I feel like I'm not capable of remembering important details from our past.
The twists and turns of plot that turned us from lovers to friends
Our relationship took a complex series of events that led us from being romantic partners to just friends.
I'm thinking I should take that volume back up off the shelf
I'm considering revisiting a book or source of information that may help me remember important details.
And crack it's weary spine and read to help remind myself
I'm planning to open the book and read it, hoping it will jog my memory.
I am waiting for another repeat
I'm afraid that our situation will keep happening over and over again.
Another diet fed by crippling defeat
I'm worried that our experiences will continue to be negative and difficult to overcome.
And I am waiting for that sense of relief
I'm hoping for a feeling of ease or release from our current situation.
I am waiting for you to flee the scene
I'm expecting you to leave, potentially making things worse.
As if you held in your hand the smoking gun
It would be as if you were responsible for the problems we're facing.
And on the floor lay the one you said you loved
The person we are both invested in is hurt or damaged in some way.
And it's strange
It's odd to think about.
They're all basically the same
All of our problems seem to be interchangeable and similar to each other.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard, Christopher Walla
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Keegan Pasqualoni
"I am waiting for that sense of relief
I am waiting for you to flee the scene
As if you held in your hand the smoking gun,
And on the floor layed the one you said you loved."
In my opinion, one of the most powerful parts of the song.
Brandon Araya
Chandraraj same here
Ayoub Niyaz
omg dude, how many good songs these guys hav. im tired of being impresssed by them
Sonja
I bawled at practically every song when I saw them live - this song/every song is worth an entry in the dictionary under the word "breathtaking".
Adam Smith
definitely a highlight of my life seeing them live in a small venue...truly incredible music these guys have.
fighter1234543
The stereo version of this song of the album is so much more incredible. The drums you hear are panned left at the start, then rotate to the right as the guitars go the other way. It makes for a really cool effect. If you like this song, check out the stereo version (I think the full rereleased album is available through some npr music podcast)
tony molino
Ok phil spookter
Matt Kaluza
i love the melodramatic turn at 2:10 crescendoing with one of my favorite death cab lyrics
DJ Mandi Mouse
Cannot wait for the anniversary concert this is in my top 10 fave songs
7dogguy
I'm surprised this song wasn't a hit on the radio