Death Cab For Cutie - Codes and Keys

Before I write this, I need to disclose something about myself: I’m an insanely tremendous Death Cab fan. There’s not a single Death Cab release that I don’t absolutely adore. My favourite is their 2000 LP, ‘We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes’ – it’s such a beautifully crafted release and, in my opinion, one of the greatest indie rock albums of all time. Fourteen years and six albums since their formation, Death Cab For Cutie have recorded their seventh LP in eight separate studios. Produced by guitarist Chris Walla, the Washington indie rock 4-piece has put together something ever so slightly different from their previous work. It’s an inevitable evolution. With frontman Ben Gibbard having married Zooey Deschanel and moving to Los Angeles since 2008’s ‘Narrow Stairs’; ‘Codes and Keys’ is far more bright and cheery than what we’ve come to expect from a classic Death Cab album. It means that we lose those spongy, melodious ballads like ‘You Can Do Better Than Me’ and ‘Pity and Fear’, but gain more immense, ear-splitting crescendos and vast intricate instrumentation. Though, this musicality is typical of DCFC and nothing much has changed. It still sounds very much the same as their set-in-stone sound with a few new things here and there, such as the massive riff in ‘You Are A Tourist’ – the biggest DCFC riff ever – and the prodigious amount of synth throughout the album, another inevitable event considering Gibbard’s previous experiments (e.g. The Postal Service). What we also lose is deep, meaningful lyrics that heavily contribute to the overall effectiveness of a song. There is no, “but who’s going to watch you die?” here. Instead it’s nonsensical rubbish about throwing stones at the sky, and these words are echoed underneath a million different effects applied to Gibbard’s voice; an instrument that requires the least masking of all. Negatives aside, its heavy texture and endless layers complement the Death Cab sound and make ‘Codes and Keys’ a fantastic, solid release. It poses no threat to the title of my favourite DCFC LP, but it’s welcomed to the album stack with open arms.