Death Cab for Cutie — Thank You for Today (08/17/18)
The soft-pop vets out of Bellingham, Washington have delivered their ninth full-length album, titled Thank You for Today. It’s been a few years since I last heard anything from this band. Their 2015 release, Kintsugi was a bit of a letdown following the four-year wait after 2011’s Codes and Keys. While Codes and Keys had the band pushing their boundaries and left me excited to see where they’d go next, Kinstugi left me with a somber group of songs that passed by without much of an impact.
On Thank You for Today, the band is holding their ground as a soft alternative pop group that has no tricks hidden up its sleeve. Without having given Kintsugi a full listen for the past two years, I think it’s safe to say that the songs on their newest album have a bit more spring in their step. Maybe it’s the clouds in the sky artwork opposed to the blurry black and white of Kintsugi, but there’s a more open feel to these songs.
“I Dreamt We Spoke Again” is a ghostly opener featuring what sounds like a xylophone, vocalist/guitarist Ben Gibbard trying to remember a conversation in a dream. Gibbard has perfected the sad and tired delivery, something that’s been a part of their sound for as long as I’ve known them (since 2005). His smooth and edgeless voice makes it so easy for the less adventurous tracks to fly on by without much notice. Songs like “Summer Years” and “When We Drive” offer up their pleasantries but are void of any spark to make me feel something.
Where I am given some feeling on this album is with a song like “Gold Rush.” The lead single, it’s an instant stand out, the tambourine and twangy guitar conjuring up images of a bustling city in the heat of the gold rush. Fellow single, “Autumn Love” is the pop hit of the group, offering up a hook that Death Cab has proven capable of with songs like “Crooked Teeth” and “Underneath the Sycamore.” The instrumentation on this track is also a treat, Jason McGerr holding a fantastic beat on the drums, along with a fantastic guitar lead-in to the hook.
“Northern Lights”, the most alternative rock leaning of the bunch, is a fast-moving track with a running chorus, Gibbard supplying a bit more passion than heard on the rest. “You Moved Away” is a dreamy track that sets up a sort of ambiance throughout. It’s a slow-mover that might seem a bit hollow from a distance, but if given the appropriate listen, can be a pretty special song. The album’s closing track, “60 & Punk” is a wonderfully depressing story to lose yourself in and goes down as one of the strongest written tracks I’ve heard this year, Gibbard singing of a failed hero. “He’s a superhero growing bored/With no one to save anymore.”
It’s been twenty years since Death Cab released their debut. I’ve known them for over half that time, and through that time they’ve always been reliable for some easy-going pop. They’ve never touched the heights of what I saw on Plans, the album I discovered them with, since, but they’ve remained a prominent name for good reason. Thank You for Today isn’t breaking new ground for the band, but it’s a step forward. 7/10
