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."
I Was a Kaleidoscope
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And they were grouped in twos or threes,
Like a Morse code message was sent from me to me.
Cars on slippery slopes, they're stuck: people pushing through
Their mittens as I was beginning to feel it soaking through my shoes,
Getting colder with every step I took to your apartment, dear.
And I was a kaleidoscope, the snow on my lenses distorting the image of what
Moved.
This is when I forget breathe all the things I scripted, they sound unfounded.
And the look that you're giving me, it tells me exactly what you are thinking,
"this ain't working anymore."
They got their mothers worked into a panic
Sledding down hills into oncoming traffic
The parents layered clothes until the children couldn't move then kept them
Outside til their noises were blue and I got left there, too.
I put on my overcoat and walked into winter, my teeth chattered rhythms.
And they were grouped in twos or threes like a Morse code message was sent from me
To me.
The song I Was a Kaleidoscope by Death Cab for Cutie follows the story of a man walking in the winter to his lover's apartment. The coldness of the winter and the snow on his lenses causes the man to feel distorted, like a kaleidoscope. He doesn't know which version of his lover to address because every time she speaks, he sees different versions of her.
As the man tries to speak to his lover, he forgets the things he scripted and realizes that the look on her face tells him that their relationship isn't working anymore. This realization troubles the man as he continues to walk and observe families who got worked up into panic watching their children sled down hills into oncoming traffic.
The lyrics are an observation on how conflicting emotions can be when a relationship ends. The man seems to be at odds with himself as he tries to figure out how to address his lover, and the snowy lens metaphor only adds to the confusion. The line "And they were grouped in twos or threes like a Morse code message was sent from me to me" suggests his own inner conflict and how it is impossible to send a clear message when you are not in a good mindset.
Overall, the song captures the pain and confusion of a relationship ending when both parties are not ready to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
I put on my overcoat and walked into winter, my teeth chattered rhythms
I went outside in the cold and my teeth were uncontrollably chattering in a rhythmic pattern.
And they were grouped in twos or threes, like a Morse code message was sent from me to me.
The chattering of my teeth sounded like a coded message being sent to myself, occurring in patterns of twos and threes.
Cars on slippery slopes, they're stuck: people pushing through their mittens as I was beginning to feel it soaking through my shoes, getting colder with every step I took to your apartment, dear.
As I made my way to your apartment in the winter cold, I witnessed cars stuck on icy slopes and people struggling through mittens to push them along. My own shoes began to soak through, making me feel colder with every step.
And I was a kaleidoscope, the snow on my lenses distorting the image of what was only one of you and I didn't know which one to address as all your lips moved.
The snow on my glasses distorted my vision, causing you to appear like a kaleidoscope, with multiple versions of yourself speaking to me. I didn't know which image of you was real and struggled to address the correct one.
This is when I forget breathe all the things I scripted, they sound unfounded.
In this moment, I forget the rehearsed things I wanted to say to you as they sound insincere and lacking a real foundation.
And the look that you're giving me, it tells me exactly what you are thinking, 'this ain't working anymore.'
The look on your face indicates to me that you have realized that our relationship is no longer working.
They got their mothers worked into a panic. Sledding down hills into oncoming traffic. The parents layered clothes until the children couldn't move then kept them outside til their noises were blue and I got left there, too.
I observed parents panicking as their children sled dangerously down hills and became too cold to move, leaving them outside until they were nearly hypothermic. I was also left out in the cold in some way.
I put on my overcoat and walked into winter, my teeth chattered rhythms. And they were grouped in twos or threes like a Morse code message was sent from me to me.
I walked out into the cold winter air again, with my chattering teeth making a rhythmic pattern that sounded like a coded message only I could decipher.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD, CHRISTOPHER WALLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lydia S
I put on my overcoat and walked into winter, my teeth chattered rhythms
And they were grouped in twos or threes,
Like a Morse code message was sent from me to me.
Cars on slippery slopes, they're stuck: people pushing through
Their mittens as I was beginning to feel it soaking through my shoes,
Getting colder with every step I took to your apartment, dear.
And I was a kaleidoscope, the snow on my lenses distorting the image of what
Was only one of you and I didn't know which one to address as all your lips
Moved.
This is when I forget breathe all the things I scripted, they sound unfounded.
And the look that you're giving me, it tells me exactly what you are thinking,
"this ain't working anymore."
They got their mothers worked into a panic
Sledding down hills into oncoming traffic
The parents layered clothes until the children couldn't move then kept them
Outside til their noises were blue and I got left there, too.
I put on my overcoat and walked into winter, my teeth chattered rhythms.
And they were grouped in twos or threes like a Morse code message was sent from me
To me.
Lydia S
I put on my overcoat and walked into winter, my teeth chattered rhythms
And they were grouped in twos or threes,
Like a Morse code message was sent from me to me.
Cars on slippery slopes, they're stuck: people pushing through
Their mittens as I was beginning to feel it soaking through my shoes,
Getting colder with every step I took to your apartment, dear.
And I was a kaleidoscope, the snow on my lenses distorting the image of what
Was only one of you and I didn't know which one to address as all your lips
Moved.
This is when I forget breathe all the things I scripted, they sound unfounded.
And the look that you're giving me, it tells me exactly what you are thinking,
"this ain't working anymore."
They got their mothers worked into a panic
Sledding down hills into oncoming traffic
The parents layered clothes until the children couldn't move then kept them
Outside til their noises were blue and I got left there, too.
I put on my overcoat and walked into winter, my teeth chattered rhythms.
And they were grouped in twos or threes like a Morse code message was sent from me
To me.
Harry indeed
Driving through the snow in the suburbs while this song plays is just perfection
TheThunderbird63
if you grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and ever had a snow day that completely shut down your town, then you can totally relate to this song.
And yes, I got left there too Ben :(
Brandi Cook
Love love love this song.... So nostalgic.It deserves way more attention
リオ
Why so few comments on such a beautiful song?
nobody
Seriously!!!
alina
this is my favorite one
John Wagner
This record, as a whole, is an absolute masterpiece. But if you twisted my arm, I’d say this is my favorite track with a close 2nd being “We Laugh Indoors”…I’m probably the only one who loves this album more than Transatlanticism…
White Cascade
Setting playback speed = 90% improves this song, and the entire album IMO.
Milu Da Freites
the best song ever