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."
Talking Like Turnstiles
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
when I have had too much to drink
A tangled tongue like English Ivy
Just like a film dubbed out of sync
The phone is ringing in the guest room
A muffled voice on the machine
It's either someone I don't want to talk to
'Cause I'm waiting for you to come on home
Sometimes I fall in fits of laughter
My bottle shatters on the floor
And you apologize profusely
for the drunkard on your arm
And I'll change, love, change, love
Change for you
Cause even slurred words can contain some truth
I'll change, love, change, love
Change for you
When I am ready to
discuss the meaning behind the lyrics of Death Cab for Cutie's "Talking Like Turnstiles," I would say that this song is about the emotional disconnect that can occur in a relationship due to alcoholism. The songwriter sings about how, when he drinks too much, he talks like a turnstile, meaning that his words and thoughts seem tangled and confusing. He also mentions how his phone rings, but he avoids answering it, since he doesn't want to talk to anyone except the person he's waiting for to come home.
The song also touches upon the aftermath of the writer's drinking, as he falls into fits of laughter and shatters his bottle on the floor. It seems like the writer's partner is used to dealing with his drunken antics and is almost apologetic when others witness them. The writer acknowledges that he needs to change for the sake of his relationship and displays a hopeful attitude by saying he will change for his partner, as even when he speaks incoherently, his words can still carry truth.
Overall, "Talking Like Turnstiles" can be seen as an honest portrayal of the struggle someone faces when they have a drinking problem, and the impact it can have on those around them. The song shows both the pain and hope that can come with realizing that change is necessary.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I talk like a turnstile
I speak jumbled like a turnstile when I'm drunk.
when I have had too much to drink
My speech becomes tangled when I drink too much.
A tangled tongue like English Ivy
My speech is jumbled and hard to understand, like English Ivy tangled together.
Just like a film dubbed out of sync
My speech is like a movie where the audio doesn't match the visuals.
The phone is ringing in the guest room
I hear the phone ringing in the room where guests stay.
A muffled voice on the machine
There's a voice on the answering machine, but it's hard to hear.
It's either someone I don't want to talk to
The person calling is someone I don't want to speak with.
Or someone selling what I don't need
The caller is likely trying to sell me something I don't want or need.
'Cause I'm waiting for you to come on home
I hope for your return while I wait.
Sometimes I fall in fits of laughter
I sometimes laugh uncontrollably.
My bottle shatters on the floor
I drop my bottle and it breaks on the ground.
And you apologize profusely
You say you're sorry many times.
for the drunkard on your arm
You apologize for being with someone who is drunk.
And I'll change, love, change, love
I'll try to change for you, my love going to.
Change for you
I'll change myself for you.
Cause even slurred words can contain some truth
Sometimes I speak truthfully even when I'm drunk.
When I am ready to talk like a turnstile,
I'll speak jumbled when I'm ready.
it means that I have had too much to drink
My speech becomes tangled when I drink too much.
but I promise to change for you
I vow to change myself for you.
to speak clearly and truthfully even when I'm drunk.
I will try to speak honestly and coherently, even when I'm under the influence.
I will change for you.
I'll change for you.
When I am ready.
When the time is right.
Contributed by Cooper T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Frank
on I Will Follow You Into The Dark
This song sucks