Additional information
Death Cab For Cutie: Benjamin Gibbard, Nicholas Harmer, Jason McGerr, Christopher Walla. Additional personnel: The Barsuk Men's Choir. Recorded at The Hall Of Justice, Avast, Ironwood, Studio X, Seattle, Washington; Tiny Telephone Studios, San Francisco, California. This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players. Death Cab For Cutie: Benjamin Gibbard, Nicholas Harmer, Jason McGerr, Christopher Walla. Additional personnel: The Barsuk Men's Choir. Recorded at The Hall Of Justice, Avast, Ironwood, Studio X, Seattle, Washington and Tiny Telephone Studios, San Francisco, California. Death Cab for Cutie finally delivers on its promise with its fourth album, TRANSATLANTICISM. Although the band's earlier outings have excellent moments, this collection of indie power-pop plays to Death Cab's strengths, wrapping Ben Gibbard's plaintive vocals and emotive lyrics in consistently dynamic and engaging arrangements. The album opens with the majestic surge of "The New Year," and moves to the instantly catchy "Lightness." While guitars chime over solid bass-and-drums backing, Gibbard's melancholy tales unfold, drawing the listener in further with each song, largely due to the perfect production of guitarist Chris Walla. By the time the wide-screen title track runs it course and the album ends with the oddly optimistic "A Lack of Color," it becomes clear that this is one of those albums that you'll listen to over and over again.
Reviews
Rolling Stone (11/27/03, p.93) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...[The album] presents a polished version of the heart-string-tugging formula that has earned the quartet its cultish following: melodic, melancholy songs about feeling both smart and confused, hopelessly romantic but wary of love..." Spin (11/03, p.112) - "...TRANSATLANTICISM is a breakup album that refuses to break down, full of striking, tactile imagery....Direct and beautiful..." - Grade: A- Uncut (11/03, p.107) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...This is a record of rare beauty and poise..." CMJ (12/29/03, p.6) - Ranked #6 in CMJ's "Top 10 of 2003" CMJ (10/6/03, p.4) - "...Makes ambition safe for the indie clique....new guitar textures and rhythmic ideas are everywhere..." Mojo (Publisher) (12/03, p.122) - 3 stars out of 5 - "TRANSATLANTICISM is a further suite of touching vignettes, choice observations and killer lines."
