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."
Summer Years
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And watch the rain fall through the street lights
'Cause you're standing still in my mind
Fading out, waving goodbye
And I wonder where you are tonight
If the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
Sometimes I'm overcome
By every choice I couldn't outrun
The junctions all disappear
You can't double back to your summer years
And I wonder where you are tonight
If the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
And I wonder where you are tonight
And if the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
It's just as well
And I wonder where you are tonight
If the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
And I wonder where you are tonight
And if the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
It's just as well
In "Summer Years," Death Cab for Cutie lead singer Ben Gibbard reflects on the choices he's made in his life and the paths he didn't take. The song is about the regret and the longing for a simpler time - the summer years - that seem just out of reach. This is portrayed in the first verse where Gibbard sings about watching the rain through the streetlights and wondering where the person he's thinking of is now. The imagery of the rain and the streetlights provide a melancholy backdrop to what could have been, and the person he's thinking of is clearly a reminder of the path not taken.
In the second verse, Gibbard continues his introspection, admitting that he's sometimes "overcome by every choice I couldn't outrun." The junctions in life - the choices we make - disappear as we get older, and we can't go back to the simpler, carefree times of our youth. In the chorus, Gibbard repeats his wonderment, this time asking if the person he's thinking of settled for a compromise, as if to say that somewhere there's a life that could have been theirs.
Overall, "Summer Years" is a reflective and nostalgic song that perfectly captures the bittersweet longing for the past and the struggle to come to terms with where we've ended up.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I wake at night
Occasionally in the middle of the night, I rise from slumber
And watch the rain fall through the street lights
I observe the raindrops descending under the illumination of the street lamps
'Cause you're standing still in my mind
The idea of you remains stagnant in my thoughts
Fading out, waving goodbye
Gradually disappearing, bidding farewell
And I wonder where you are tonight
I ponder on your whereabouts this evening
If the one you're with was a compromise
Are you currently settling for someone who is not ideal?
As we're walking lines in parallel
Our paths are similar but will never converge
That will never meet and it's just as well
The fact that we will not converge is better for us
Sometimes I'm overcome
On occasion, I am overwhelmed
By every choice I couldn't outrun
Every decision I made that I cannot escape from
The junctions all disappear
The opportunities have vanished
You can't double back to your summer years
It's impossible to return to your days of youth
And I wonder where you are tonight
I muse on your location this evening
If the one you're with was a compromise
Are you settling for someone who is not ideal?
As we're walking lines in parallel
Our paths are similar but will never converge
That will never meet and it's just as well
The fact that we will not converge is better for us
And I wonder where you are tonight
I muse on your location this evening
If the one you're with was a compromise
Are you settling for someone who is not ideal?
As we're walking lines in parallel
Our paths are similar but will never converge
That will never meet and it's just as well
The fact that we will not converge is better for us
It's just as well
It's better that we are not together
And I wonder where you are tonight
I muse on your location this evening
If the one you're with was a compromise
Are you settling for someone who is not ideal?
As we're walking lines in parallel
Our paths are similar but will never converge
That will never meet and it's just as well
The fact that we will not converge is better for us
And I wonder where you are tonight
I muse on your location this evening
If the one you're with was a compromise
Are you settling for someone who is not ideal?
As we're walking lines in parallel
Our paths are similar but will never converge
That will never meet and it's just as well
The fact that we will not converge is better for us
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard, Jason McGerr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ali
Lyrics
Sometimes I wake at night
And watch the rain fall through the street lights
'Cause you're standing still in my mind
Fading out, waving goodbye
And I wonder where you are tonight
If the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
Sometimes I'm overcome
By every choice I couldn't outrun
The junctions all disappear
You can't double back to your summer years
And I wonder where you are tonight
If the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
And I wonder where you are tonight
And if the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
It's just as well
And I wonder where you are tonight
If the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
And I wonder where you are tonight
And if the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
It's just as well
Hex Nottingham
Below is my album review that was the very first on Amazon:
Posted by Sir Hex
A Monumental DCFC Album!
August 17, 2018
Verified Purchase
Absolutely beautiful! Strong beats and ethereally atmospheric melodies. The entire album has such a refreshingly rich full sound with every track being unresistably danceable, the only possible exception being their signature last song, the often low key sign off at the end of their albums, like a freshly closed envelope with a warm solidifying wax seal connecting the parchment.
I listened to it at work on headphones whilst wiring electrical panels. The other men working in the control house couldn't determine if I was listening to heavy metal or some hard hitting hip hop. That's just the way I move. (I headbang to Coldplay...)
At only two songs in, I was almost moved to tears at the rhythmic serenity, but that composure finally gave a bit on track 05. Not necessarily for any personal reason, but just at the total immersion. I'd like to listen to it a second tyme at the gym later, but I have to say I'm kind nervous I might have an inappropriate emotional release in mid rep.
From the moment a large door opens to another reality and you're greeted with the Robert Smith-esque pick solos of "I Dreamt We Spoke Again", and the chorus of "Summer Years" that seems to take you by the hand when the distortion guitar comes to haunt you, the perfectly mixed beat of "Gold Rush" that feels so uplifting thumping through the subwoofer, the pacing discussion of "Your Hurricane", the silent conversation on a tyme-stand-still road trip of "When We Drive", the rolling hills frolick through the leaves of "Autumn Love", bumping around a gentle mosh pit with virtual cascading personifications of each individual bass guitar and piano note of "Northern Lights", standing on the sidewalk watching the ghosts of others' conflictions on "You Moved Away", running with a group of close friends to reunite with a long lost friend on "Near Far", or as a deep embodiment of piano notes have you visiting the old record store you used to get those bootleg and imports from when you were a teen and recognising the same owner that saw you steal once in "60 & Punk"... This album is a tea cup ride in an abandonded carnival as the outside world spins around your own personal biosphere.
It has been my opinion for over a decade that Ben Gibbard is one of the most underrated song writers of this generation. Sure, he's in an established band and doing very well, but there is magic in his pen that I've seen bewitch more people than most. I'm mostly a musical ear, sometymes even taking me years before I ever realise what a song is actually about. Not with DCFC. Ben's writing always has my attention from the first harmonic syllable.
At the tyme I wrote this review, the album wouldn't be released until the following Friday, but was available for streaming at NPR Music's Twitter page. The band was eager to hear from their fans, and wants us all to tell them what our favourite songs are. I could have done that on Narrow Stairs. I could have done that on Codes and Keys.. and especially with Kintsugi. But not this album. Not yet. The best I can do is tell them my least favourite song on Thank You For Today, but that's something I will not do. It may present the misconception that I actually dislike something
song on that album, and that would be far from the truth.
"But I won't be the debris in your hurricane."
-DCFC
:epilogue::
Later that day at the gym, I did indeed listen to it two more tymes in a row. I was fine, but it did inspire me to go back into my notes and add that sentagraph leading you through the song progression. Obviously more of a psychological (or psychedelic) journey through the album rather than one translated from a literal interpretation of Ben's lyrics. If Amazon allows, I plan to add a second review with more of a straight forward, practical approach.
Tamás Fábián
Okay, honestly I was just gonna stream this album, but NAH after listening I have to buy this and support these guys <3
BombBoi 3000
All of their albums after “we have the facts and we’re voting yes” are the best ( except the photo album, which is good as well. )
russell cavender
I love to support my bands I love supporting my bands are underground need all the help they can.
Tamás Fábián
only a few realize thats how you gain new fans, youtube is the most easily shareable media platform, you can listen to it w/o registration, of course there are downsides, so may rip the audio in really bad quality from here and listen to it, but hey if you do that your ears deserve it! :D
JewToTheRescue
This is what I want to support. I bought the album so I can listen in my car and support the band but they still upload the FULL album (and every other one!!) to their YouTube channel. Mad respect.
Wendy Potter
I wanna stream for now but yeah, Death Cab's I always buy. I want them to make music forever! Music Gods!
Ali
Lyrics
Sometimes I wake at night
And watch the rain fall through the street lights
'Cause you're standing still in my mind
Fading out, waving goodbye
And I wonder where you are tonight
If the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
Sometimes I'm overcome
By every choice I couldn't outrun
The junctions all disappear
You can't double back to your summer years
And I wonder where you are tonight
If the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
And I wonder where you are tonight
And if the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
It's just as well
And I wonder where you are tonight
If the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
And I wonder where you are tonight
And if the one you're with was a compromise
As we're walking lines in parallel
That will never meet and it's just as well
It's just as well
LucasOli
@flawer LOL
flawer
You've got lyrics in desc
stillcovalent
If someone releases an instrumental version for this amazing song I'd definitely pay for it!