Death Cab for Cutie’s got that lovin’ feeling



By Jon Matsumoto
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer


The pop universe is teeming with sensitive artists playing music designed to tear at the heartstrings and send young women soaring over the moon in a poetic state of romantic rapture.

The best of these artists may be Death Cab for Cutie, which played two sold-out shows at the Wiltern Theatre Friday and Saturday night. There is little doubt this is a band at its best when delivering reflective ballads that touch on that well-worn musical theme: love.

The Seattle outfit’s evening ending rendition of their song “Transatlanticism” on Saturday night was delivered in such a tender and heart-piercing way you could almost sense eyes watering up around you when frontman Ben Gibbard repeated the song’s refrain “I need you so much closer” over and over.

What keeps Death Cab from Cutie from dissolving into cheap and maudlin sentiment is Gibbard’s talent for penning sometimes beautiful, melodic songs that are almost cinematic in scope. This alone puts him ahead of most of the emo/pop competition as represented by the likes of Dashboard Confessional and John Mayer.

Gibbard is also the unusual pop songwriter in that his lyrics tend toward the existential and metaphysical even as he’s exploring themes of love and romance. Indeed, it has been noted that Death Cab’s most recent album, “Plans,” is rife with images of love being the prelude to death. In the beautifully haunting song “What Sarah Said,” he writes, “True love is watching someone die.” This sentiment follows the feelings of two young lovers who realize one day one of them will have to watch the other die.

When Death Cab for Cutie played Saturday night, the packed audience stood at rapt attention. This is music you sing along to or dream along to, but it is not material that’s going to instigate much dance floor action or enthused partying.

Still, the response from the audience when the band left the stage for the first time was effusive, euphoric and sustained. It reflected the deep connection fans feel for Death Cab.

While their lyrics and music tend to be relatively heavy emotional experiences, the band members are much more informal and even jocular on stage.

Bassist Nick Harmer spoke to the crowd about his disappointment following Fox’s recent cancellation of their TV show “Arrested Development.”

“ Plans” is Death Cab for Cutie’s first album for a major record company—Atlantic Records—after releasing a number of records on a small independent label, Barsuk Records. Whether or not the band can become a major mainstream success depends on numerous factors, including luck. There is little doubt the group has the talent to continue to broaden its appeal.

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