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."
Flustered/Hey Tomcat!
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw a lot of liquor
I saw my tomcat
Famose
I saw my tomcat
What?
Tomcat
What?
Tomcat
I saw a bowl of milk
And I said
"Hey"
What?
I got news for you
That's weird
I got news for you
I got news
10, 5, 0 meters
I think it's, um . . .
I like the beat a lot
And I like the pool
And I can dance around the room
And I
Tomcat
Hello, tomcat
News for you
What, tomcat?
News for you
What, tomcat?
As you're listening to heart sounds
And murmurs
Instead of using words to
Describe them
It's somewhat like eating an apple
And trying to describe how it tastes
What
Tomcat
So what?
The LSD
What
I'm unsure
I got news for you
Some kind of LSD
Sure enough, I'll come
Tomcat
And I'm sure
The rumors
I got news for you
Hey, tomcat
And I'm sure the rumors
What, tomcat?
And I'm sure the box I
And I'm sure the box
Some kind of L word
One of the LS words
What the LS?
The L word
The LSD pill and the cat
What is going on, motherfucker?
No, no
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
There's salt
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
You're so flustered
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
You're so flustered
I excel at stone
When given the exposed
I am Brian
The lyrics of Flustered/Hey Tomcat! by Death Cab for Cutie are a stream of consciousness that are hard to make sense of. However, one interpretation could be that the singer is under the influence of LSD (a drug commonly associated with cats) and is having difficulty articulating their thoughts, hence the random phrases and interruptions by their tomcat. They are observing their surroundings, including a bowl of milk, and attempting to communicate with their cat, but the experience is overwhelming and confusing.
The repeated phrase "I got news for you" could be a reference to the singer's altered state of mind, where they feel like they have gained and understanding of something that they cannot fully articulate. The final lines of the song are even more chaotic, with the singer seemingly breaking down completely and ending with a statement that seems to reference themselves, "I am Brian."
Overall, the lyrics of Flustered/Hey Tomcat! are open to interpretation, but they seem to be a reflection of the effects of drug use on the mind and the difficulty of trying to express thoughts and feelings while under the influence.
Line by Line Meaning
Once when my folks were gone
When my parents weren't home one day
I saw a lot of liquor
I found a lot of alcohol in the house
I saw my tomcat
I saw my pet cat
Famose
Not a clear meaning, possibly a misspelling of 'famous'
I saw my tomcat
I saw my pet cat again
What?
A questioning response to the previous line
Tomcat
A reference to the pet cat
What?
A questioning response to the previous line
My tomcat
Clarification that they are referring to their own pet cat
Tomcat
Another reference to their pet cat
I saw a bowl of milk
I found a bowl of milk
And I said
Expression indicating they are about to say something
"Hey"
An interjection to get the attention of the listener
What?
A questioning response to the previous line
I got news for you
I have some surprising information to share
That's weird
An observation that what they saw is strange
I got news for you
Reiteration that they have some surprising information to share
I got news
Reiteration that they have some surprising information
10, 5, 0 meters
Not a clear meaning, possibly a reference to distances
I think it's, um . . .
An expression indicating they are uncertain, possibly about the previous line
I like the beat a lot
They enjoy the rhythm of the music
And I like the pool
They enjoy being in a pool of water
And I can dance around the room
They are able to dance freely around the room
And I
Trailing off, possibly indicating they are lost in thought
Hello, tomcat
A greeting to their pet cat
News for you
An indication that they have something to share with the cat
What, tomcat?
A response to the cat's meowing or actions
News for you
Reiteration that they have something to share with the cat
What, tomcat?
A response to the cat's meowing or actions
As you're listening to heart sounds
A comparison to listening to heartbeats
And murmurs
Referring to heart murmurs
Instead of using words to
They are suggesting a different way of conveying information
Describe them
Referring to describing the sounds they are hearing
It's somewhat like eating an apple
A comparison to a different situation
And trying to describe how it tastes
A comparison to a difficult task
The LSD
Referring to a drug
I'm unsure
A declaration of uncertainty
I got news for you
Reiteration that they have news to share
Some kind of LSD
Clarification that it was a type of drug they are referring to
Sure enough, I'll come
An expression indicating they will participate in something
The rumors
Referring to something said by others
Hey, tomcat
Calling their pet cat's attention
And I'm sure the rumors
They are repeating something they've heard
What, tomcat?
A response to the cat's meowing or actions
And I'm sure the box I
Unclear meaning, possibly cut off from the next line
And I'm sure the box
Unclear meaning, possibly cut off from the previous line
Some kind of L word
Referring to something starting with the letter L
One of the LS words
Referring to a drug starting with the letters LS
What the LS?
An expression of confusion about the previous line
The L word
Referring to the drug they previously mentioned
The LSD pill and the cat
A combination of two seemingly unrelated things
What is going on, motherfucker?
An expression of confusion and possibly anger
No, no
An expression of disagreement or disbelief
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Unclear meaning, possibly just filler sounds
There's salt
Referring to a presence of salt somewhere
You're so flustered
A comment on the listener's emotional state
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Unclear meaning, possibly just filler sounds
You're so flustered
Reiteration that the listener is emotionally agitated
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Unclear meaning, possibly just filler sounds
I excel at stone
A statement indicating they are good at something
When given the exposed
Unclear meaning
I am Brian
Introducing oneself as Brian
Contributed by Aubrey G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Frank
on I Will Follow You Into The Dark
This song sucks