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."
Home Is A Fire
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shutter with shades drawn
There's too many windows
Noise, cars on the freeway
Tempting a clean break
There's nowhere left to go
Watching the room tweak
Through cracks in the concrete
Plates they will shift
Houses will shake
Fences will drift
We will awake
Only to find
Nothing's the same
Nothing's the same
Home, home is a fire
A burning reminder
Of where we belong, oh
With walls, built up around us
The bricks make me nervous
They're only so strong, though
They're only so strong, though
Plates they will shift
Houses will shake
Fences will drift
We will awake
Only to find
Nothing's the same
Nothing's the same
Nothing's the same
Nothing's the same
As yesterday
As yesterday
The lyrics to Home Is A Fire by Death Cab for Cutie are imbued with a sense of restlessness and longing for a sense of belonging. The singer seems to be struggling with the idea of home, and the lyrics suggest that their physical surroundings are not providing the sense of security and stability that one would hope for in a home.
The opening lines, "Sleep with the lights on, shutter with shades drawn, there's too many windows" suggest a sense of vulnerability and unease. The singer is unable to fully relax in their surroundings, and the "too many windows" suggest a lack of privacy and protection. The noise of "cars on the freeway" adds to this feeling of being exposed and vulnerable.
As the song progresses, the lyrics describe a sense of instability and uncertainty, with "plates they will shift, houses will shake, fences will drift" suggesting a world that is constantly in flux. However, despite this sense of impermanence, the singer seems to be searching for a sense of belonging that can only be found in a place called home.
The chorus, "Home, home is a fire, a burning reminder of where we belong" suggests that the singer is seeking a source of warmth and comfort that can only be found within the walls of a home. However, even within these walls, there is a sense of fragility, with the "bricks making me nervous, they're only so strong though" hinting at the idea that even our homes can be vulnerable to the forces of the outside world.
Overall, the lyrics to Home Is A Fire are a poignant reflection on the human desire for a sense of belonging, and the vulnerability and insecurity that can come with that search.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep, sleep with the lights on
It's hard to fully rest and let go when you're constantly on edge and anxious about your surroundings.
Shutter with shades drawn
One way to deal with too many windows and too much outside noise is to try to block it all out and create a cocoon-like atmosphere.
There's too many windows
The outside world is constantly intruding on our private spaces, making it hard to feel safe and secure.
Noise, cars on the freeway
The constant hum of traffic and other background noise can be overwhelming and distracting, preventing us from fully focusing on anything else.
Tempting a clean break
Sometimes it feels like the only solution to all the chaos and stress is to simply walk away from it all and start fresh somewhere else.
There's nowhere left to go
But often we find that there's really nowhere to escape to - no perfect utopia where life is always easy and stress-free.
Watching the room tweak
All the stress and chaos can make you feel like the world around you is shifting and twisting - like you're losing your grip on reality.
Plates they will shift
Just like the world around us, nothing in life is ever truly stable or predictable - things are always shifting and changing, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.
Houses will shake
Even the structures we rely on to keep us safe can be vulnerable and unstable - everything is subject to wear and tear, damage, and decay.
Fences will drift
Even the boundaries we set up to protect ourselves and our loved ones can become blurred or lose their efficacy over time - we need to constantly work to maintain them.
We will awake
At some point, we'll all have to face the reality of our situations - there's no running from it forever.
Only to find
And when we do finally wake up, we may not like what we see - reality can be harsh and unyielding.
Home, home is a fire
But no matter how hard life may get, there's always our sense of home - that safe, warm, comforting feeling of belonging somewhere.
A burning reminder
Sometimes that sense of home can feel overwhelming, like a physical weight or burden that we have to carry with us wherever we go.
Of where we belong, oh
But ultimately, our sense of home is what grounds us and gives us a place to call our own - it's what ties us to the people and places we love.
With walls, built up around us
Those walls of home can also keep us trapped or isolated, preventing us from exploring the world around us or branching out in new directions.
The bricks make me nervous
Sometimes even our own homes can feel like a source of anxiety or stress - anything built by human hands is ultimately fallible and transitory.
They're only so strong, though
But we also have the power to rebuild and strengthen our homes and communities - as long as we're willing to put in the work.
Nothing's the same
Ultimately, change is the only constant in life - nothing ever stays the same forever.
As yesterday
And while that can be scary and unsettling, it's also a reminder that we can always work to shape our own futures and make our homes and communities stronger and more resilient.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD, CHRISTOPHER WALLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Frank
on I Will Follow You Into The Dark
This song sucks