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."
St. Peter's Cathedral
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ever fearful of the answer
When the candle in the tunnel
Is flickering and sputters and fading faster
It's only then that you will know
What lies above or down below
Or if these fictions only prove
At St. Peter's cathedral, there is stained glass
There is a steeple that is reaching
Up towards the heavens
Such ambition, never failing to amaze me
It's either quite a master plan
Or just chemicals that help us understand
That when our hearts stop ticking
This is the end and there's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
There's nothing past this
(There's nothing past this)
There's nothing past this
(There's nothing past this)
There's nothing past this
(There's nothing past this)
There's nothing past this
(There's nothing past this)
There's nothing past this
In Death Cab for Cutie's song "St. Peter's Cathedral," the lyrics talks about the fears that people have about what happens after death. The cathedral, built of granite, represents the vastness and permanence of the universe. The people are fearful of the answer to what lies above or down below, indicating that they are uncertain of what happens to their souls after death. The candle in the tunnel represents human consciousness, which flickers and sputters before it fades away.
The stained glass and steeple in the cathedral represent the hope that people have for an afterlife that is beyond this one. The ambition that went into building these structures is impressive, yet it may be based on a belief in a master plan or just the chemicals in our brain that make us want to believe in an afterlife. In the end, when our hearts stop ticking, it is suggested that this is the end, and there is nothing beyond this life.
The song is a reflection of the uncertainty and fear people have about what happens after death. It also highlights the desire that people have for an afterlife that extends beyond this one. The lyrics are open to interpretation, leaving the listener to ponder their own beliefs about the nature of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
St. Peter's Cathedral
The place of worship that symbolizes hope and faith
Built of granite
A durable material symbolizing permanence and strength
Ever fearful of the answer
A fear of discovering the truth that may challenge beliefs
When the candle in the tunnel
Metaphor for the fragility of life
Is flickering and sputters
A sign of approaching end of life
And fading faster
The proximity to the end of life is becoming more evident
It's only then that you will know
Death reveals the truth of what lies beyond
What lies above or down below
Refers to the belief in heaven or hell
Or if these fictions only prove
Challenges the belief in an afterlife
How much you've really got to lose
The realization of what death truly takes away
There is stained glass
A beautiful, yet fragile element of the church
There's a steeple that is reaching
A symbol of ambition and reaching towards divinity
Up towards the heavens
Sky is the limit in terms of human aspirations
Such ambition never failing to amaze me
The drive to attain something greater than oneself is endlessly fascinating
It's either quite a master plan
A belief in a divine plan for the universe
Or just chemicals that help us understand
The belief in biological explanations of human thought and behavior
That when our hearts stop ticking
The cessation of life
This is the end
Death is the final destination
And there's nothing past this
There is no afterlife, just nothingness
There's nothing past this
Emphasizing the finality of death
There's nothing past this
Affirming the lack of any existence beyond the mortal realm
There's nothing past this
There is no transcendence or spiritual continuation beyond death
There's nothing past this
The end of life is the end of everything
There's nothing past this
Reinforcing the idea that death is the finality of our existence
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Frank
on I Will Follow You Into The Dark
This song sucks