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."
Lowell
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Opinions stamped on the pulp of the tabloid newsstand gossip that stacks at your door.
You swallowed the last of free MA.
Car starts, four windows lowered away.
Last views of cityscapes crumbling.
Skyscrapers sink into the ground.
Those bandwidth signals can't reach that far.
Don't go holding out on me now.
Don't go holding.
I thought that you had come to expect
I thought that you had come to expect more
I thought that you had come to expect
I thought that you had come to expect more
You've been forewarned of the skake-shakedown.
Opinions stamped on the pulp of the tabloid newsstand gossip that stacks at your door.
Don't go holding out on me now
Don't go holding out on me now
Don't go holding out on me now
Don't go holding
The song "Lowell MA" by Death Cab for Cutie explores the idea of being disillusioned with one's surroundings and feeling the need for change. The city of Lowell, Massachusetts serves as a backdrop for this exploration, with the singer feeling trapped and wanting to leave. The first stanza suggests that the singer has been warned of some impending danger (the "skake-shakedown"), but the opinions of the tabloid newsstand gossip have clouded their judgment. The second stanza then shows the singer leaving the city, driving away and watching the cityscapes crumble behind them. The line "skyscrapers sink into the ground" is particularly powerful, hinting at a feeling of doom or collapse.
The bridge of the song brings in a bit of uncertainty, with the singer questioning whether or not their expectations are too high. They're essentially asking if they're being too idealistic or if they're expecting too much from life. The repeated refrain of "don't go holding out on me now" seems to be a plea to themselves to not give up on these expectations or desires.
Overall, the song can be seen as a commentary on how we can get bogged down by our surroundings and the opinions of others, but that ultimately, we have to decide what we want and pursue it, even if it means leaving familiar territory behind.
Line by Line Meaning
You've been forewarned of the skake-shakedown.
You were warned of the potential danger that could come your way.
Opinions stamped on the pulp of the tabloid newsstand gossip that stacks at your door.
The media has intrusive gossip that is not factual which is delivered to you in the form of magazines and newspapers.
You swallowed the last of free MA.
You took the last of what you could from Massachusetts before moving away.
Car starts, four windows lowered away.
As you start your car, you lower all four windows to take in your last views of the city.
Last views of cityscapes crumbling.
As you leave, you see the cityscapes falling apart and degrading.
Skyscrapers sink into the ground.
The buildings sink into the ground as the earth beneath them shifts.
All static, no noise, turn the radio down.
The static replaces the noise as the radio loses connection with the shifting ground.
Those bandwidth signals can't reach that far.
The signals can no longer travel because of the shifting ground.
Don't go holding out on me now.
Do not hesitate or hold back your true feelings from me.
I thought that you had come to expect.
I believed that you had become accustomed to something.
I thought that you had come to expect more.
I believed that you had become accustomed to receiving or achieving more than what you currently have.
Don't go holding out on me now.
Do not hesitate or hold back your true feelings from me.
Don't go holding out on me now.
Do not hesitate or hold back your true feelings from me.
Don't go holding out on me now.
Do not hesitate or hold back your true feelings from me.
Don't go holding
Do not hold back or restrain yourself.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD, CHRISTOPHER WALLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rene Garcia
Really great album
Adg 87
Just awesome.
TheThunderbird63
"Skyscrapers sink into the ground. All static, no noise. Turn the radio down, those bandwidth signals can't reach this far."
This is the drive from Boston to Lowell; downtown's skyscrapers disappear beyond the horizon, and you lose radio signal as soon as you drive out of the city.
withthefallen
Niceeeeeee
Sean Kelley
Kerouacs birthplace